Indiana University Athletics
Little Package, Big Personality
10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 19, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -
By Jeremy Rosenthal, IUHoosiers.com writer
At five feet, two inches, sophomore libero Caitlin Cox is the shortest player on her team, but has a tremendous impact on the outcome of matches.
Twice a year the IU volleyball team hosts "Hoosier Hitters," a clinic which consists of players and coaches teaching the fundamentals of the game to boys and girls under the age of 13.
IU coach Sherry Dunbar said Cox is often mistaken for kids in the clinic.
Once Cox sets foot on the volleyball court there is no mistaking her desire to excel. She tries to get to every ball, even if that means sacrificing her body by diving to keep the ball alive for her team. After a point for the Hoosiers, Cox will be one of the most vocal athletes, getting in the face of her teammates and screaming encouragement.
Despite her small size, the intense passion and emotion Cox exhibits were enough to provide a surprising first impression for fellow sophomore Mary Chaudoin.
"I was pretty intimidated by her at first, which is funny because of the size differential," said Chaudoin, a six foot, three inch setter. "She is a very competitive player and I never played with someone that competitive and that intense. Now I love it. Little package, big personality."
Cox, a native of Springport, Ind., grew up in a sports oriented family. Her father, Tony, served at Ball State for 23 years as an athletic trainer. Tony Cox was the trainer when Dunbar attended Ball State from 1988-1992.
Cox's brother Kyle, played basketball and golf for Ball State and was an assistant coach for the men's and women's golf programs following graduation. Cox first got interested in volleyball at age seven and has never looked back.
When Dunbar began recruiting Cox, she did not make the immediate connection to who her father was. Instead, Dunbar was impressed that she came from a highly successful club program and could represent Indiana well.
"I thought she was the type of person, obviously a very good player, but even more so the type of personality we were looking for," Dunbar said. "One of our foundation recruits to start to change the culture of our program."
Another aspect that stood out was Cox's passion for the sport of volleyball. Cox played club volleyball for Munciana, a program that has many alumni playing volleyball for division one schools. Her club coach, Mike Lingenfelter told Dunbar she would constantly call his cell phone requesting to come in early and practice extra.
Cox decided to bring her passion to Indiana, because she felt the coaching staff was motivated to turn the program around and she wanted to stay close to family.
In her first season Cox broke the single-season freshman record for digs with 402 and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
This season in a tournament in Ohio on Sept. 11-12, she earned MVP and Defensive Player of the Week honors in the Big Ten after helping her squad win the Hampton Inn Invitational team title.
Although she might still be mistaken for people much younger than her, Cox knows she is having a significant impact on many kids' lives.
"It's really cool when little girls come up to me, especially the shorter ones and say `because of you I have hopes of playing volleyball,'" Cox said.
In a match against Kentucky some fans approached her after the game and said "You're awesome and your 5-2." They had Cox sign a shirt for them and write 5-2 on it so everyone could know how tall she is.
If you come to a game it will be easy to spot her. Cox is the libero, a position recently added to college volleyball which has increased ball control, defensive intensity and extended rallies. The libero wears a different color jersey then her teammates so the referee can point her out. As the libero, Cox plays five out of the six rotations and is in control of the defense.
Dunbar said Cox has a lot of responsibility and can change the tempo and momentum of a game very quickly with a great dig.
At times both Dunbar and Cox agree that she needs to play more consistently, but the one constant is her passion for the game.
"I've got to be the person thinking I'm going to dig every ball no matter what," Cox said. "I'll run through people, I'll run through the bleachers, I just have to get that set in stone."
On the court she is having an impact on her teammates, but also having a positive influence on kids in the community.
"They watch her play and it gives them hope that not only can they play volleyball, but they can play at the highest level," Dunbar said. "It's got more to do with your passion, your heart, and your desire to be great. You look at her and she just looks like an average person. Then you see that passion come out and it's totally different."
This week's episode of "Here's Something From Mary," will be posted on Tuesday.
