Gophers make libero a household name

Paula Gentil, Marci Peniata, Christine Tan and now Jessica Granquist. What do these Gophers volleyball players have in common? They've all been Big Ten defensive player of the year since 2002.

Granquist, a junior from Blaine and this year's pick, said she savored the honor briefly when it was announced Nov. 30, then returned to work. She is the Gophers' libero, the back-row defensive player who never leaves the court.

Her job this weekend is to dig as many serves and kill attempts as she can when the Gophers play in the NCAA regional in Seattle. With two victories, Minnesota would return to the Final Four for the fourth time in school history and the second year in a row.

"The libero is equal in importance to the setter," Gophers coach Mike Hebert said, "because those two touch the ball more than any other players on the team. You have to have somebody who has the agility, the speed, the fearlessness to get to the ball. And when the libero touches the ball, it has to be solid, accurate contact. That's what Jess can do."

Granquist has 647 digs, third highest in team history. She averages 5.13 digs per set.

Senior middle hitter Lauren Gibbemeyer said the team trusts her to sacrifice her body for every ball and lift its spirits.

"She is one of the reasons why we get so excited after a point when we get all together and celebrate," Gibbemeyer said. "She is the one screaming, jumping up and down. That kind of attitude is definitely contagious."

As a youngster, Granquist played all sports. An alphabetical list would include baseball, basketball, football, soccer, table tennis, tennis and volleyball. She added track in high school.

Volleyball emerged as her sport, edging soccer, which she dropped after eighth grade.

"I was too aggressive for soccer," she said. "I would get myself injured having no brain and doing whatever."

Her family also swayed her.

"I was surrounded and saturated with volleyball at birth," said Granquist, whose mother, Marie, played at Minnesota Duluth and was an assistant coach at Totino-Grace.

"I loved watching Paula [Gentil] play," Granquist said. "And Marci [Peniata] was a great defender as well as Tanner [Christine Tan]. It really motivated and inspired me to be like them."

Dealing with the pain

Hebert said the succession of liberos has been terrific.

"Christine Tan last year was so reliable and such a good team player," he said. "Jess is probably even a better athlete than Tan."

Granquist has excelled in a Division I sport despite having two misaligned, shallow kneecaps from birth. Whenever she moves, there is bone-on-bone grinding.

She has had surgery on her right knee twice, as a high school junior and a college freshman.

This season, Granquist is one of only two Gophers who have played in every set.

"I am so happy she is having such a good year. She is such a dedicated athlete," her mom said.

The Gophers set up their blocking schemes at the net to funnel as many kill attempts at Granquist as possible.

When an opponent's kill does land on the floor, she tells herself: "I'm getting the next ball and the next ball and every other ball that comes to me."