“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lipscomb outside hitter Carlyle Nusbaum has no doubts she can fly.
In order to thrive in NCAA Division I volleyball she can't cease to do it.
Nusbaum’s 5-foot-10 height makes it almost a necessity that she be able to leap. A plaque in the Lipscomb weight room bears her name and her vertical leap of 31.75 inches.
To be clear, that’s from a standing position jumping straight up in the air.
John Hudy, director of strength and conditioning, says it is not only the best of any current female athlete, it is the best ever for a female athlete at Lipscomb.
“We had one female athlete with a 30-inch standing vertical jump,” Hudy said. “Most male athletes are pleased to be able to jump 30 inches.”
Hudy gives credit to God, Nusbaum and volleyball strength and conditioning coach Sean Johnson for Nusbaum’s jumping ability.
“One is genetics,” Hudy said. “She is from an athletic family. She is gifted.
“I know she has worked hard here. I am sure she worked hard in high school. She plays a sport where you are jumping all of the time, and that helps along with the training Sean has them doing in the weight room.”
Nusbaum’s family never lets her forget the importance of her leaping ability. Her father sends pre-match notes urging her to “Let it fly." Her grandfather reminds her to “Fly right. "
More than jumping ability
But for Nusbaum the key is more than her ability to jump high. It is all about what she is able to do while she is airborne.
“Her jumping ability takes away some of that size disadvantage,” Lipscomb coach Brandon Rosenthal said. “I don’t think she does anything magic. In a lot of ways it is a God-given ability.
“But it is one thing to jump high. It is another thing to hang in the air. She has this uncanny ability to hang a little bit longer. She can see the block and see what is happening. She doesn’t have to make the first move. She has really dialed that in.”
Nusbaum, a sophomore from Overland Park, Kansas, appears to be dialed in as the Bisons have passed the first half of the ASUN Conference portion of the season.
This week she won her fourth ASUN Player of the Week, her second in a row. Nusbaum is the first player since 2005 to win four ASUN Player of the Week honors in a single season.
Almost as impressive is the fact she has recorded double-doubles in her last three matches and is coming off 19 kills and 15 digs in a 3-0 sweep of ASUN leader Kennesaw State. She has four double-doubles for the season in kills and digs.
“One of the things we talk about with honors is the only way we make that happen is for everyone to get after it,” Rosenthal said. “When you are getting an individual award in a team sport, it is real easy to lose sight of what it is about.
“Carlyle has continued to set the bar higher and higher. She realizes there are a lot of things she can do.”
Getting more defensive
She leads the ASUN overall in total kills with 338 and is second in kills per set with 4.33. In conference matches only she is second in kills with 113 in kills per set with 4.04.
Nusbaum entered the week ranked No. 22 in the nation in kills per set. She has been in double figures in kills in 20 of 21 matches.
“The other side for her is her arm,” Rosenthal said. “It is one thing to jump high. It is another thing to put balls away. In that regard she is definitely a lethal weapon.”
Nusbaum has 38 digs in her last three matches, an average of 3.5 per set.
“Defensively, what she is doing is the biggest thing and it is what I continue to talk about,” Rosenthal said. “When she is able to play six rotations, her offensive game gets better. It is a rhythm thing.
“Some of the back row attacking we have been able to work on with her has gotten better. It is about her ability to understand her talents and have her recognize there comes responsibility with talent.”
Knows importance of her role
Rosenthal stresses there are a lot of little things that add up to great performances for Nusbaum. He is confident in Nusbaum’s mental approach to each match as she is aware other teams are scouting her and know what she is going to do and the importance of working hard on every play.
“I think she understands her role on the team and I think that is fun to watch,” Rosenthal said. “She has to be able to score.”
Her offensive numbers are impressive, but Nusbaum knows she can always improve. She sets high goals for herself with each match.
“I have to be more agile with my shots,” Nusbaum said. “I can’t just go up and swing every time.
“That is one thing Brandon has talked about this year. I have gone into some of the games not having that mentality and I was being blocked a little bit more in the beginning of games. He told me I know what I have to do. I can’t keep hitting into the block just because I am small.”
Nusbaum admits her height makes things more difficult for her on the court, but she admits it is fun as well as she works to overcome obstacles.
Rosenthal says Nusbaum has “a bigger the opponent, the bigger the moment” approach. She has risen to the occasion with a season match high 32 kills at Louisville, a match high 22 at Western Kentucky and 23 at Pepperdine.
“She plays with a different kind of confidence and that is fun to see,” Rosenthal said. “It is not a boastful type of thing.
“She knows who she is. The challenging part now is to get her to take it even further.”
