Hailing from Elmhurst, Ill., freshman setter for the volleyball team, Liz Martino appears to be a player to keep an eye on throughout her career at N.C. A&T.
Martino comes to A&T with a great deal of experience and demonstrates a high volleyball IQ. Half of her immense understanding of the game comes from her involvement in the Mizuno Sports Performance Club, one of the top performing clubs for volleyball in the country. Martino built a strong foundation at the Mizuno Sports Performance Club.
Martino not only learned what it takes to be a great volleyball player, but also the importance of being a good teammate. “You go in there and you either put 110 percent into it or you walk out the door and you don’t get anything out of it,” said Martino.
The other factor that plays a role in Martino’s ability to play the game of volleyball well is her family’s influence. Martino says she was exposed to volleyball when she was younger and participated in volleyball camps. In addition to the camps, she started the club circuit of volleyball at the tender age of 11.
An interesting way to detect Martino’s family influence on the court is by the number she wears on her jersey – number five. This number carries significance to Martino because it is also the number her aunt, Cheryl Butler, had while she played college volleyball at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill.
Similar to Martino, Butler’s position was setter at Benedictine University and she also played right-side hitter. “[Having her number] was almost like a sign,” said Martino. Although having a number with significance is awesome to Martino, she is even more excited to represent for the Aggies and add to the volleyball tradition. “Numbers are cool but it’s all about having the college logo on your jersey,” said Martino.
While at A&T, Martino is mostly looking forward to playing volleyball and traveling to different cities to play the game she loves. As a setter, she feels her role on the team is not to score points but to set up her teammates to score and be successful. “I want to be there and help the girls as much as I can,” said Martino. According to head coach Hal Clifton, Martino does put her hitters in a great position to score.
As a result, her teammates respect her, work with her, trust her and cheer for her. He also sees that Martino is very comfortable on the court. “She’s calm and collected,” said Clifton. Clifton hopes that Martino becomes a top setter, a floor leader and build the volleyball program for A&T.
Similar to other athletes, Martino is superstitious. However, her superstitions take place during a game versus before or after. One of her rituals is to stand on the left side of her teammate, freshman T’keyah Davis.
“When we won our first match that’s where I stood the entire time when I was not playing,” said Martino. Another superstition she has is getting water during volleyball games. “Sometimes if I didn’t get water before a game and we’re doing well, I can’t get water the rest of the game,” said Martino.
Martino is a Food Science major. In her earlier years, she loved cooking and the subjects of math and science. Becoming a food science major is her way to incorporate all three. One day she would like to work for a leading food company like Pepsi or Kraft.
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- Uniqua Quillins, Register Reporter