Camaioni a developing force at outside hitter

By Dave Lomonico Sports Editor

Her nervous laugh shows she still just a freshman, but little else about Nina Camaioni, Loyola's star volleyball player, would suggest she's anything but a seasoned veteran. Her work ethic, court awareness and knowledge of the game are unrivaled for a player straight out of high school, her strong outside hitting is perhaps the best in the conference and her calm demeanor exudes and inspires confidence.

"Not a lot of freshmen could have come in and accomplished what she's done," Loyola head coach Kristina Hernandez said.

Freshman? Not a chance. She's a complete offensive player. Her 441 kills from the outside hitter position led a team of veteran players on the best Loyola squad in over a decade. She can play defense. She finished second on the squad with 520 digs. And she can serve, too. She recorded 47 aces, which also happens to lead the team. Freshman? These are a senior's numbers.

No freshman could dominate a game like Camaioni did against Marist back on Sept. 23 when she recorded a school record 36 digs to go along with 18 kills. No freshman could consistently put up 15 kills a game. No freshman could cause the opposition to game plan around her. And no freshman could lead the Greyhounds to a 22-win season -- their most since 1992 -- and a No. 3 seed in the MAAC Tournament, just one year after finishing with 10 victories. The Hounds may have lost in the MAAC semifinials to Fairfield back on Nov. 18, but next year, this team could make a serious run at the upper echelon of the MAAC.

And it's thanks to ... a Freshman? Her teammates couldn't even believe it.

"In the preseason, I was shocked at how instantly she picked up the offense," sophomore Karlee Woodward, the starting middle hitter, said. "She already knew all that coach was talking about - she knew all the plays."

The drive for perfection

Hernandez laughs when she hears how Camaioni says she needs to work on her consistency, considers herself a little weak on the block and too short for an outside hitter.

"She's so self critical," Hernandez said. "Sometimes she says things, and I have to tell her, 'No, you're fine.' She's always trying to find something she's doing wrong. Last weekend, she didn't she hit the ball so well, and she came in on Monday and said, 'You know, I need to work on my contact.'"

Camaioni is her own worst critic, and it's because she has a relentless desire to be the best. When she misses a block, she's in the gym the next day studying it, practicing it, and ultimately mastering it so it won't happen again. She shows up to practice before anyone else, and she's a firm believer in that old mantra: practice makes perfect.

"She's very intense, and she wants to get better all the time," said her head coach at Williamstown High School in New Jersey, Chris Sheppard. "She's going to push herself constantly. As good as she is, she's also the hardest working player in the gym everyday."

Early in the season, before she burst onto the scene, Camaioni was averaging 12 to 13 kills a game, a number she and her coach felt could go up. By the time Loyola took on St. Peter's on Sept. 1, Camaioni stepped up her game in practice and came out honed and determined. She racked up a then-career-high 17 assists and hasn't stopped the onslaught since.

"She's taken on a leadership role, and she's getting a little more vocal," Woodward said. "I've seen her grow up a lot already."

However, her drive for perfection can sometimes negatively affect her game.

Against Siena on Oct. 20, a match the Greyhounds lost 3-0, Camaioni didn't play particularly well as she made several errors against a tough Saints team. Hernandez noticed her phenom hitter was flustered.

"Sometimes she thinks about all the things she should be doing rather than just playing," Hernandez said. "I had to tell her to chill out. I said, 'It's OK, you're going to make mistakes, this is a game of errors.'"

To say the hard work has paid off would not only be cliché, it would be an understatement. You don't become a four-time New Jersey Player of the Year at the high school level and a four-time MAAC Rookie of the Week on pure natural ability, though she has plenty of that. There's focus, there's mental preparation, there's on-court and off-court demeanor that must be monitored. All of it is important, and Camaioni knows it. Just don't expect her to say it.

Deflecting the praise

The most intense competitor on the court is also the most humble, which seems like a paradox. Her coaches will tell you all about her drive and desire. Her sister, Jess, a senior who plays volleyball for Robert Morris, will tell you about her natural ability and savvy. Camaioni shrugs it off. Frankly, she's afraid of alienating her teammates.

"I think during the season, it's a time to play for the team," Camaioni said. "Whatever you get individually is great, but during the season it's the team. When I got Rookie of the Week, it's just a whole new thing to be recognized at the college level, but at the same time, I always take the approach of, 'Hey, this is what I do.'"

She laughs a little, and then looks away. Still a freshman, still a little nervous about her abilities.

It was a tenuous start for Camaioni, despite being a starter from Day One. The Greyhounds already had a glut of outside hitters, and before the season started the coach put the job up for grabs. Camaioni proved she wasn't just some flash in the pan, yet Hernandez noticed her tentativeness. Camaioni admitted to feeling a bit awkward about taking a job from a seasoned veteran.

"I had to sit her down and say, 'I brought you in here for a reason, don't be afraid to step on peoples toes,'" Hernandez said.

Camaioni's work ethic, and ultimately her success on the court, earned the respect of her teammates. She's developing as a leader, talking more on the court and it helps that she's one of the warmest individuals you'll ever meet.