Indiana University Athletics
George Returns Home Experienced, More Mature
9/3/2015 9:54:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It only took seeing one tournament for head coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan to know she needed Chanté George on her roster.
It was late in the recruiting season and Indiana still had a scholarship to fill. Dunbar-Kruzan had gotten a tip that there was a skilled middle blocker playing in Texas that was managing to fly under the radar, so she headed south to see for herself.
George wasn't perfect, but her potential jumped out immediately, Dunbar-Kruzan said. She was going to require some work, but she was exactly the type of project player worth taking a risk on.
"She just had sheer, raw athleticism," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "We saw her play once, saw her athleticism and thought hey, if we redshirt this kid, we may be able to figure something out here."
Fast forward nearly six years and that raw talent is now Indiana's lone fifth-year senior.
George—who didn't start playing volleyball until her freshman year in high school—has continued to grow during her time in Bloomington and still hasn't reached her full potential yet, Dunbar-Kruzan said.
This weekend, George and Dunbar-Kruzan will return to the same part of the country they first met half a decade ago. For the first time in her collegiate career, George, a San Antonio native, will be playing in her home state at the Delta Zeta Classic in San Marcos, Texas.
"I'm really excited," George said. "I'm really glad I get to do it my senior year, especially for my friends who haven't gotten to see me play since high school. Family members who weren't able to make it out all these years can actually see me play in Texas."
George returns to her home state a much more mature player than the high school senior she was when she committed to Indiana, Dunbar-Kruzan said. She's been more consistent on the court and has emerged as one of IU's leaders in the locker room.
"We're talking about academics, and she's the one telling (freshmen) you need to have your planner filled, your schedules figured out and you need to be sitting in the front row," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "I mean, she gets it now like a senior should get it."
Four years ago, George didn't have time to devote extra time to worrying about what teammates were doing. She was busy learning how to be a college volleyball player herself.
George redshirted her true freshman season while she adjusted to playing at the next level. She said the year away from competitive games gave her a different perspective and allowed her to become a smarter player.
"I wouldn't take that experience back for anything," George said. "I couldn't compete, but I was still in every practice. It was just a learning experience to sit back and watch the upperclassmen do their thing and learn from them while adding my own experiences. It helped a lot. I mean, a lot."
At 6-feet tall, George is undersized for a Big Ten middle blocker. She often finds herself giving up two or three inches to her opponents lining up opposite her.
What she lacks in height, she makes up for in speed. It's one of the things she realized she'd need to rely on early on in her redshirt season to compete against larger opponents.
"I have to use my speed in everything I do," George said. "If I slack on speed in one rep, it shows. You can see I'm really small, so I have to explode and use my feet to get up and be able to jump high. It all comes down to speed and just being consistent with it."
Consistency has been George's main focus for 2015. She's taken on her largest playing role to date and has responded with three of her better matches of her career to open the season having already recorded 27 kills and nine blocks.
For perspective, George had 54 kills and 25 blocks in 20 matches all of last season.
"I'm hoping she can keep bringing that, because if she does, she really makes us a hard team to beat," Dunbar-Kruzan said.
In a way, Dunbar-Kruzan knew George could become that type of player all along. The same things she applauds now are exactly what caught her eye in the first place.
Now, heading home, George is looking to show her friends and family just how much stronger she's gotten in her final season as a Hoosier.
"I'm playing at my highest level right now. Not many people can say they get do that as a fifth-year senior," George said. "I just want to leave this program better than it was, leaving a legacy and for them to say I did my job."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It only took seeing one tournament for head coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan to know she needed Chanté George on her roster.
It was late in the recruiting season and Indiana still had a scholarship to fill. Dunbar-Kruzan had gotten a tip that there was a skilled middle blocker playing in Texas that was managing to fly under the radar, so she headed south to see for herself.
George wasn't perfect, but her potential jumped out immediately, Dunbar-Kruzan said. She was going to require some work, but she was exactly the type of project player worth taking a risk on.
"She just had sheer, raw athleticism," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "We saw her play once, saw her athleticism and thought hey, if we redshirt this kid, we may be able to figure something out here."
Fast forward nearly six years and that raw talent is now Indiana's lone fifth-year senior.
George—who didn't start playing volleyball until her freshman year in high school—has continued to grow during her time in Bloomington and still hasn't reached her full potential yet, Dunbar-Kruzan said.
This weekend, George and Dunbar-Kruzan will return to the same part of the country they first met half a decade ago. For the first time in her collegiate career, George, a San Antonio native, will be playing in her home state at the Delta Zeta Classic in San Marcos, Texas.
"I'm really excited," George said. "I'm really glad I get to do it my senior year, especially for my friends who haven't gotten to see me play since high school. Family members who weren't able to make it out all these years can actually see me play in Texas."
George returns to her home state a much more mature player than the high school senior she was when she committed to Indiana, Dunbar-Kruzan said. She's been more consistent on the court and has emerged as one of IU's leaders in the locker room.
"We're talking about academics, and she's the one telling (freshmen) you need to have your planner filled, your schedules figured out and you need to be sitting in the front row," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "I mean, she gets it now like a senior should get it."
Four years ago, George didn't have time to devote extra time to worrying about what teammates were doing. She was busy learning how to be a college volleyball player herself.
George redshirted her true freshman season while she adjusted to playing at the next level. She said the year away from competitive games gave her a different perspective and allowed her to become a smarter player.
"I wouldn't take that experience back for anything," George said. "I couldn't compete, but I was still in every practice. It was just a learning experience to sit back and watch the upperclassmen do their thing and learn from them while adding my own experiences. It helped a lot. I mean, a lot."
At 6-feet tall, George is undersized for a Big Ten middle blocker. She often finds herself giving up two or three inches to her opponents lining up opposite her.
What she lacks in height, she makes up for in speed. It's one of the things she realized she'd need to rely on early on in her redshirt season to compete against larger opponents.
"I have to use my speed in everything I do," George said. "If I slack on speed in one rep, it shows. You can see I'm really small, so I have to explode and use my feet to get up and be able to jump high. It all comes down to speed and just being consistent with it."
Consistency has been George's main focus for 2015. She's taken on her largest playing role to date and has responded with three of her better matches of her career to open the season having already recorded 27 kills and nine blocks.
For perspective, George had 54 kills and 25 blocks in 20 matches all of last season.
"I'm hoping she can keep bringing that, because if she does, she really makes us a hard team to beat," Dunbar-Kruzan said.
In a way, Dunbar-Kruzan knew George could become that type of player all along. The same things she applauds now are exactly what caught her eye in the first place.
Now, heading home, George is looking to show her friends and family just how much stronger she's gotten in her final season as a Hoosier.
"I'm playing at my highest level right now. Not many people can say they get do that as a fifth-year senior," George said. "I just want to leave this program better than it was, leaving a legacy and for them to say I did my job."
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