Volleyball: Claypoole shining after slow start 10/14/12

Eric Narcisse, The Advertriser, October 14, 2012

When you see UL Ragin’ Cajuns volleyball player Blair Claypoole on the court, it’s easy to become mesmerized by her height, leaping ability and her natural power when putting a ball down for a kill.

But what many people don’t know is Claypoole, who has always been among the taller kids growing up, hasn’t always been the talented and dominant volleyball player fans see today.

"In eighth grade, I was on the team but I sat the bench," Claypoole said. "Honestly, I was terrible. I just went out for volleyball because I wanted something to do, but I was just so uncoordinated. I actually thought I was very awkward, because I really didn’t know how to handle my height. I mean, I was always running into things. I was very clumsy."But when you’re a 6-foot-tall eighth-grader, coaches are willing to look past the clumsiness, awkwardness and lack of coordination because they believe with a lot hardwork someone like Claypoole can develop into a valuable weapon.

"In eighth-grade, I was a bean pole and I wasn’t very good," Claypoole said. "But my coaches in high school really invested so much time in me that I began to get better and better. My dad also pushed me really hard. I’ve become the player I am today because of all of the people that believed in me and were willing to put in the time to help make me a better player."Claypoole didn’t allow the efforts of all those who believed in her to go for nothing as she parlayed her developments into a scholarship to Centenary before transferring following her freshman year to the Cajuns."It was around my sophomore year in high school that I began to think about playing college volleyball," Claypoole said. "I just remember thinking ‘oh my God, my dreams are possible.’ I didn’t begin playing volleyball until eighth grade and I didn’t find success in it until I was three years into the sport. I was pleasantly surprised, but God gave me this talent and I was able to make the most of it."UL head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot isn’t the least bit surprised how far Claypoole has come to become the player she is today.

"It’s not hard for me to believe at all," Mazeitis-Fontenot said. "I think what she’s accomplished is a testament to who Blair is. She is so strong-minded that when she sets her mind to do something, it’s going to be done. If she sets a goal, she will accomplish it."

Now in her senior season with the Cajuns, the 6-2 Claypoole has been everything Mazeitis-Fontenot could have dreamed of as she is the team leader in blocks with 60, second in kills with 181 and second in points with 230.5. Claypoole has also recorded 33 digs, 19 assists and 13 aces for the Cajuns, who are 11-11 overall and 3-4 in the Sun Belt."Blair has been wonderful for us," Mazeitis-Fontenot said. "If there is any player on this team that is like me it is her. She is very driven and bossy. She is not afraid to tell you what you need to do to get better. Blair is the type of player who is willing to do whatever needs to be done in order for us to be better."

Claypoole, who admittedly hates to think about the fact that she is in her last days as a collegiate volleyball player, has begun preparing for life after college.Claypoole, who has spent time studying abroad in Chile at an English speaking school, hopes to one day fulfill her dream of start a middle school of her own.

"I know people say this a lot, but kids are the future," Claypoole said, "and I want to make a difference in their lives any way that I can."