Let’s stick with liberos as we continue our profiles of East Bay Player of the Year candidates. This week, the case is made Granada’s Melissa Summers.

Everybody knows that with great athletes, comes great talent. But what makes that athlete special is the things they do outside of that talent. Being a selfless teammate, being a leader and having a good attitude are what separates the great from the outstanding.  Granada’s Melissa Summers is outstanding.  A first team All-East Bay performer last year, Summers is just as good again this year, and she’s doing so much more.
With the Matadors running into some setting problems, and with Summers getting short notice that she was needed to set against Amador Valley, she stepped in and stepped up.  “We all know she can dig, pass and serve,” Granada coach Toni Templeman said. “But when I told her we needed her to set, she had a day to practice and then had to play a position she never had played. I was so impressed with her poise and attitude, not to mention her performance. She really can do whatever is needed of her. To me that’s impressive.” That is the epitome of selfless.

How about leadership? Summers has plenty of that.  “Without her we would be scrambling,” Templeman said. “She is our leader on and off the court. Our team has relied on her for many things. Without Mel this year we would be half as good. It will be a tough loss to graduate her after this season.”
 

Summers has all the signs of an outstanding volleyball player, and that is just the thing. She is a true volleyball player. The desire, the way she treats her teammates and the way she approaches the game separate her from most players in the East Bay.  “To me, she is a real volleyball player as opposed to a girl who just plays volleyball,” Templeman said. “She has a will to win and she is a fantastic teammate. She is very coachable and this makes her a player every coach would want.”