Sept. 14, 2005
By Amanda Piechowski,
As San Diego prepares to host this weekend's 2005 USD Volleyball Invitational, outside hitter Erin Wiskar looks to continue a strong start to her sophomore season. So far, Wiskar has been a key part of an 18th-ranked Torero team that has won six of its first seven matches away from home. She has appeared in all seven matches, four as a starter, and ranks among team leaders with 54 kills. A native of British Columbia, Canada, Wiskar couldn't be happier with her experience of traveling south to attend and play volleyball at USD.
Before her arrival in San Diego, Wiskar was considered to be one of the best prep volleyball players in Canada. A four-year member of the Canadian Youth National Team, she collected numerous All-Star and MVP honors throughout her entire prep career and was exposed to a high level of volleyball at a young age. The next step was to take her volleyball career to a new level.
"I knew about scholarships in the States and I ended up doing the [recruitment] work myself. In my junior year, I made a tape of my club season, just highlights and skills, and I sent it out to about 15 schools, mainly West Coast schools. I got responses from about 10-12 schools and then narrowed it down from there."
Wiskar remembers being very heavily recruited, especially by Pac-10 programs in Washington State and Oregon.
"I thought I wanted the big school, big athletic experience. But I got back from those trips and I had no idea what I wanted to do. The big schools tried to sell you. I remember when I went to Oregon and they had my name on a locker and stuff laid out with my name and my number. I didn't feel like a real person; I just felt like I was being sold. It was laidback at USD and I just felt like everyone was really real here."
As a true freshman, Wiskar started in six matches. The 96 digs and 111 kills were tops for any Torero freshman in 2005 for a San Diego team that won the West Coast Conference Championship with an undefeated record of 14-0- advancing into the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
"I knew we'd be a good team. I knew we were top-20, top-25, but I had no idea that we would shoot off like that. We were just unstoppable. We were on a high and there was nobody that could ever get us down. I lucked out by even getting playing time in that season. It was an awesome experience being a freshman and playing with a team so competitive and strong all around. It gave me a taste of what I wanted to keep working towards."
This season, Wiskar and the Toreros all know exactly what they want to work towards: a repeat of last year.
"It has been harder this year because we expect so much of ourselves. It's going to take a little longer to tweak some things to make everything smoother. But everyone's working hard and we all have one common goal: defend the title."
This weekend marks the first home games for the Toreros as they look to continue their three-game winning streak and stellar pre-season record at the annual University of San Diego Invitational. San Diego kicks off the tournament against UNLV Thursday night at 7 pm in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
"Our team is totally different this year. Different players in different positions; just a totally different look this year. It's taken a little while to figure everything out," says Wiskar. "But our goals for this weekend? Come out on top, for sure."
