Hudson Completes National Team Experience
6/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? Tide volleyball standout Crystal Hudson has already proven that she deserves to be mentioned among the top players in the Southeastern Conference. Last month, the honorable mention All-American got the opportunity to prove that she also deserves mention on a national level when Hudson competed on the USA National A2 team in Austin, Texas.
Hudson, a native of Hueytown who had one of the best offensive seasons in recent Crimson Tide history last fall, earned the chance to play with the nation’s elite after a successful tryout at the United States Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, Colo., in late March. One of 20 players nationally to play on one of two A2 development teams, Hudson and her peers appeared in the US National Championships in Austin in late May.
“I was there almost a week and our team played six matches,” Hudson said. “We won four and lost two, so that was positive, but the experiences I had there were great no matter what the results of the matches were. It’s hard to put into words how much I learned and how valuable that experience was for me.”
Competing against a mix of USA national teams and other established teams from around the nation, Hudson had a chance to see some of the country’s best volleyball players first-hand. And as usual, the explosive Hudson proved her ability to compete among the nation’s best talent.
“I think I played pretty well,” Hudson said. “Thankfully, I got the chance to play with some of my teammates right before that week, so I wasn’t too rusty. I served as well as I ever have and I was really happy with the way I played defense, especially since we were playing a different type of defense than we do here at Alabama and I had to learn a new system pretty quickly. I liked it and caught up pretty fast. But I was really happy with the way I played in Austin.”
The week was a mix of work and pleasure for the players. It began with an intense practice session that resembled two-a-days that collegiate teams throughout the country undergo in early August prior to the beginning of class and the regular season in the fall.
“We got there and practiced right away, where we broke up into individual groups and positions,” said Hudson. “After that, it was like preseason two-a-days, where you practiced for two or three hours and had a break for lunch or whatever and then went back and did the same thing that afternoon and evening. We were all pretty tired after that, but it was a great chance to get to see everyone compete and play and we got to know each other pretty well after spending all of that time together on and off the floor.”
As could be expected at this level of competition, the intensity level and quality of play was the highest the players had ever seen. With a compilation of some of the best intercollegiate players around, rallies were long and furious, with outstanding play on both the offensive and defensive sides.
“You could just tell that all of the players there were at a high level,” Hudson said. “Once we got to play six-on-six, it got even higher, because everyone was ready to play after all of that practice. The rallies were just unbelievable because the players were so good. Defensive players got to balls that you never thought they would, the blockers were good and all of the offensive players were so good too. Everyone could get the ball up, everyone could hit and everyone could serve. The level of play was just phenomenal.”
Hudson even got the chance to work on her setting skills, a task that she didn’t use very often at Alabama, mostly because she was on the receiving end of the sets in the Tide system.
“I even got the chance to set some balls in the system we used, and that was a lot of fun, said Hudson. “We set so many balls that my hands were hurting. They had us doing everything instead of just concentrating on one specific thing, so that was fun for me too.”
In addition to meeting some of the best players in the nation, Hudson got to play under some of the most accomplished coaches from around the country as well. Included on the coaching staff was Ohio State head coach Bill Stone, a national coaching veteran, and Texas A&M assistant coach Robyn Romansky.
“There were several coaches there and each had their own style,” Hudson said. “We had a couple who were really positive, one who was kind of sarcastic and another who was all business. They did a good job of simplifying our system and giving us one vocabulary so we could all understand what was going on out there. I had Coach Stone from Ohio State and the assistant from Texas A&M. They were both really positive, but at the same time it was all business with them. Both taught us a lot and it was a great experience to work with them.”
But her favorite part was the experiences she had with her teammates. Interacting with players from around the country, who were not only talented athletes, but successful individuals academically with outstanding personalities was a highlight for Hudson.
“The whole experience was just great,” Hudson said. “It was a little unusual at first, but once we all got to know each other it got better. My favorite part was getting to know all of the different girls from different schools. We got to ask each other what life was like at other schools and in other states and I got exposed to a lot of different personalities and people. Hanging out with all of them, at lunch and in practice, getting to know all of the different people was the biggest thing I liked about the whole experience.”
More importantly for Hudson, though, the experience taught her how to be a better teammate when she returns to Tuscaloosa for another shot at an SEC title and her third NCAA Tournament appearance. That learning took place not only on the court, but from the sidelines as well.
“I think the best thing I can bring back from the experience on the floor was my serving,” said Hudson “I had never served like that in my life and it gave me a whole new sense of confidence from the service line. I wasn’t in a rush, I just took my time and tried to keep the ball in play. That’s something I can definitely bring back to my team.
“Also, I learned how to be a better teammate when I’m not playing. At Alabama, I’m used to being on the floor most of the time, but down there I spent a lot of time watching too. I learned that you can contribute while you are watching too, learning from the other players and seeing things that you can’t always see when you are playing. I tried to stay positive when I wasn’t playing and tried to learn as much as I could, so that is something I think I can bring back to the team in the fall.”
For Hudson, the experience gave her even more motivation to succeed as a volleyball player at the collegiate level, and just perhaps at the national level once again after her Crimson Tide playing days have ended. With her ability and the upside she has in the game of volleyball, just maybe an Olympic team might be in her future.
“I don’t want to be just good, I want to be great at this game,” Hudson said. “I know I’m a little behind because most of the other girls started playing so much earlier than I did, but seeing them play made me want to see how good I can be. I just want to see how far I can go, and if it’s not good enough to play on an Olympic team, I want to be able to say that it wasn’t because I didn’t do everything I could and work as hard as I could to get there. I would love to have that chance, but it is just going to take more time and hard work.”
