Livingston Flies High for Badgers
November 13, 2001 | Volleyball
It's not hard to find Sherisa Livingston after a Wisconsin volleyball match in the UW Field House. Just look for the largest group of autograph-seeking girls and in the middle of that crowd, you'll find Livingston.
One of the most popular Badger players, the senior middle blocker thrills crowds with her high-flying kills, stuff blocks and her enthusiasm on the court. She shreds opponents' defenses with her great leaping abilities'she can touch 10 feet, nine inches'frequently hitting over opposing blockers.
Livingston almost didn't come to Wisconsin when her recruiting visit didn't start out very well.
'I missed my plane (from Los Angeles) and I was in the airport for like 12 hours,' explains Livingston. 'I was like, `I 'm not coming to Wisconsin. I'm never going to come to Wisconsin. I 'm never going to come to this school. I hate this school.''
'But then I got there and they just showed me such a good time. I had such a good feeling about the school, about the coaching staff and the players, that I just decided that it was a good school for me.'
Livingston made her other recruiting visits but her mind was pretty much made up.
'I think I knew right away that I was supposed to come to Wisconsin,' says Livingston.
Livingston also chose Wisconsin in order to be a part of one of the up-and-coming programs in the nation. The year prior to her arrival, the Badgers had won the Big Ten Conference Championship and advanced to the elite eight of the NCAA Tournament.
'I saw that it was my chance to come to a school and not just continue a powerhouse, but it was my chance to help make it (a powerhouse) along with the other people in my class,' said Livingston.
As a freshman, Livingston finished the year second on the team with 3.23 kills and 1.19 blocks per game while hitting .361 percent. She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, the first for a Badger player, and earned AVCA all-district honors.
'I just feel like it was a great year for me to be able to relax because I had so many juniors and seniors around me,' says Livingston. 'I felt so relaxed because everyone else was so much older and even if I made a mistake, they were going to make up for me.'
After changing head coaches between her freshman and sophomore seasons, Livingston and the Badgers went 22-10 the following season. The 10 losses would stick with her and the team the following off-season.
' We were just on a mission in the spring,' says Livingston. ''This is going to get us to the national championship. This is going to get us to the final four. This is going to get us a Big Ten title.' There was no complaining. If anybody even opened their mouth and complained, we would say this is helping us get better for the national championship.'
Livingston led her team to her first Big Ten Championship and was named the co-Big Ten Player of the Year. She averaged 5.19 kills and 1.38 blocks per game while hitting .373 percent.
Wisconsin was seeded third in the 2000 NCAA tournament and hosted the Mideast Regional. The Badgers overcame injuries to starters Claudia Rodriguez and Meggan Kohnen to defeat Kansas State in the regional semifinals and edge UCLA in five games to advance to its first NCAA Championship.
'I think the highlight was the UCLA match,' says Livingston of the 2000 season. 'That topped even going to the finals or going to the championship match. Claudia got injured ' Meggan got injured ' I actually got to play back row. That just showed how deep we were last year.'
Wisconsin advanced to the NCAA Championship in Richmond, Va., sweeping USC in the national semifinals. The Badgers then had to face former head coach John Cook and his top-ranked Huskers in the national championship match. Wisconsin lost 2-3 but the Badgers had an unforgettable season.
'I think I'm going to remember it and I want to learn from it,' says Livingston of losing the national championship match. 'We basically had the match. I don't know what went wrong. I still haven 't watched the match. I watched Game 1 and 2 but I can't watch any more after that. I'm always going to remember it. As I go further on in my career, if I go further on in my career, that's another feeling I don't want to have. '
Livingston earned first-team All-American honors as a junior to become the first UW player to earn first-team honors. She entered her senior campaign as a candidate for national player of the year honors, but to Livingston what's even more important is getting her team back to the national championship match.
'I still have the same goals but I want to reach even higher goals,' explains Livingston. 'Obviously, winning a national championship is the highest goal out there.'
The Badgers are on track to achieve that goal. Wisconsin is ranked sixth in the most recent USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Coaches poll and leads the Big Ten with a 15-1 record.
Livingston is again one of the top candidates for Big Ten Player of the Year honor. She is currently averaging 5.05 kills and 1.10 blocks per game while hitting .408 percent.
During the 2001 season, Livingston became the UW's all-time kill leader breaking the previous mark of 1,661 kills set by All-American Amy Lee from 1994-97. Livingston currently has 1,797 kills in her four years, which ranks 10th on the Big Ten list, and is still counting. She is also on-track to become the UW's all-time hitting percentage leader with a .365 attack percentage for her career.
'I definitely want to be remembered as the dynamic player that I think I am,' says Livingston of her UW career. 'I want to be remembered as a good person too because the person that I am on the court, is not the same person that I am when I take off my uniform.'
After winning a national championship, Livingston's next goal is to finish school. She then wants to continue her career in volleyball. Livingston hopes her first stop is with the U.S. National Team.
'I want to play as long as I can play, as long as my body will let me play, as long as there is an opportunity for me to play. I want to keep playing,' says Livingston. 'But after that, I don't want to make plans because as the saying goes `If you want to make God smile, tell Him your plans. ''
