Butch McCartney

Through a little bit of hard work, good things can happen.

This is certainly the case for junior volleyball player Julie Bobbe.

She initially came to the Blugolds as a defensive specialist during her freshman year, but has worked hard throughout the years to become a solid piece of the ‘Golds offense today.

“Julie is always hustling in practice and games,” assistant coach Nate Somers said. “She goes out there and plays full out every play.”

Her transition to outside hitter this year has had its ups and downs, but, overall head coach Lisa Herb is impressed.

“She is a smart hitter,” Herb said. “She has a lot of shots.”

Game in, game out, Bobbe is consistently one of the team’s offensive leaders, though her real strength comes from her years as a defensive specialist.

“Her quickness is her greatest strength,” Somers said. “She is a superb defensive player.”

The numbers speak for themselves.

In 25 matches this season, Bobbe has compiled a team-leading 330 digs for an average of 3.67 digs per game.

She is also second on the team behind junior middle blocker Brooke Wozniak with 2.82 kills per game.

“I like playing defense,” Bobbe said. “It is my favorite part of the game.”

Although she always has wanted to play in the front row and be an attacking player, Bobbe said she never really gave it much thought until this past summer at the Blugold volleyball camps where she worked as an instructor.

“When I was working the camps I practiced my hitting a lot and then people started saying that I should think about playing front row,” Bobbe said. “I worked on it and talked to Lisa (Herb) about trying out for the front row.”

The rest is history. Ever since then Bobbe has been a contributing, consistent starter at the outside hitter position since the beginning of the season.

Even though Bobbe is quiet and laid back, her personality is not to be mistaken with how she plays, Herb said.

“Because she is on the quiet side, teams may not notice her right away,” Herb said. “But she definitely does not play quiet.”

For her solid play and work ethic, Bobbe was awarded with the Lisa Siegenthaler Memorial Award at the Blugolds home tournament in September.

The award is presented to the player who best represents what the late Blugold volleyball player possessed.

Bobbe’s passion for the sport and her willingness to play hard every play, along with her relationships with her teammates and people in general, were the reasons she was selected for the award, Herb said.

“I wouldn’t have thought of anyone else,” Wozniak said. “Just because of how much she has done for our team and how much she has improved as a player.”

Bobbe said winning the award was one of her biggest athletic accomplishments.

“I was really honored winning it because it is so big,” Bobbe said. “It means a lot to me.”

Bobbe’s mild-mannered personality is very beneficial to the team, Wozniak said.

Bobbe maintains a level head on the court and has a great way of calming the team down when things get a little crazy, she said.

Herb agreed.

“Julie leads by example and is not going to be the verbal cheerleader,” Herb said. “She leads by being steady.”