Sixth-year hitter
Parker Webb said she needed to improve her passing and be a better all-around player in 2018, coming off an injury during her second year on the Viking women's volleyball team.
Head Coach Michael Seeman agreed. "She needs to improve her overall playing height (jumping). She needs to work on that to make her a more complete player. She needs to improve her passing and defense," he said in 2018.
Mission accomplished! Today, Webb is ranked second all time for the Vikings at the D-1 level in kills, aces and points. She's also been picked for several all-star teams.
She used the injury time to study the game, working on her weak points as she slowly recovered from a meniscus tear. And, she has worked hard to improve in the off-season.
"Since my injury, I've gotten much stronger as a person. My vertical has gotten higher, I have been able to lift heavier, and I am able to move much easier than I was before," she said.
Over the years, she's learned that the off-season is crucial to becoming a better player. "I have always done my best in taking advantage of the off-season, lifting hard, getting into the gym and playing every day…and even getting closer as a team so when season comes around, we know we are 100 percent ready," she said a month into what was unfolding as a successful 2022 season for the Vikings where she had already sparkled in a win over Northern Arizona with 18 kills, two aces and two blocks.
And, Seemann is delighted with the player into which Webb has developed (he forecasted in her sophomore year that she had the potential to be an All-Big Sky player).
"She consistently puts up big numbers in kill and block categories. She is a very reliable attacker and gets her team out of tough situations frequently. She's not easily rattled," he said.
There's been a big change in her game over the years, agreed Webb.
"When I look back at how I was when I first got to PSU, I was a completely different player. I still hit hard and I had a good serve, but the technical aspect was not at all like today," she said.
Webb has become a more effective blocker and attacker and "continues to improve her eye work and she's working on expanding her defensive toolbox in response to different types of attacks," Seemann said.
This improvement led to All-Big Sky first-team and All-Big Sky tournament selections last season, a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American selection in 2020, two Big Sky Offensive Player-of-the-Week designations and being named to several all-tournament teams over the last three seasons.
She lists the All-Big Sky honors last season and the NSCA award as volleyball highlights during her time at PSU, but she's equally proud of being named Academic All-Big Sky the last three years.
Webb graduated with a double major in Finance and Marketing in June of 2021 and is enrolled in the Master's in Real Estate Development program at PSU, which she will finish this winter. She's also proud to be the career record holder in Division I program history for matches and sets played.
Her post-university goals are "to travel around the world and to get an occupation in the financial real estate field."
Want to brag about your grades? "My undergraduate cumulative GPA was 3.48 and my graduate GPA is 3.69. With a mix of being a full-time athlete, working and having a social life, I believe this is worth bragging about." No disagreement there.
Webb agonized over the decision on whether to finish her eligibility with a sixth season or begin her post-college career. In fact, she took last winter off to reflect.
"I came back because I realized there wasn't anything I wanted to do more than volleyball. I would meet with Michael a lot and we would talk about the pros and cons of me deciding to play. It was just obvious that I was not done with the game," she said.
Among the memories she'll take away from her collegiate experience is the "huge impact" COVID-19 had, especially in 2020. There was no pre-season. The regular season was cut in half, and the players were constantly worried about close contact and having to quarantine for 12 days. Such matches as there were, were played before empty arenas.
"It was a really difficult time, especially when we had to be locked in our rooms. The best thing about college is hanging out with your friends/teammates and, sadly, we got that taken from us for a long period of time," said Webb.
Her goals for this season (probably for the last three, as well) are to "get first in conference, get first at the Big Sky Tournament and go to the NCAA tournament."
She's also trying to use her experience to help the team's younger players.
"With having the most experience in college volleyball, I know that it's up to me to pass down knowledge especially to the younger players. We have certain expectations on our team, so I do what I can to lead by example and set the team up for success. [The downside is] I can also be very intense, so I also know that I have to sometimes check myself and make it a positive kind of intensity to have the greatest impact."
In a bit of a surprise, Webb said her only regret is that she might have concentrated on being a setter, rather than a hitter, when she first began the game.
"I like the decision-making aspect of it (being a setter). Calling plays, switching it up on other teams. It seems really fun to me! It's also fun to celebrate your own spikes, but I think it's even more fun celebrating your team when they are putting the ball away, especially when you're the one setting them up," she said.
Seemann believes that Webb's six years in the program make her especially valuable.
"She has been there and done that. I believe that's why she is reliable. Nothing really shakes her confidence, even if she is struggling on the court. She is wise enough to know that she doesn't have to be perfect and that, when she's off, her teammates are able to produce," he said. "She most certainly is a top 10 player during our Division I era in terms of games played and the impact she has on the program."
