A simple look at the record books and people would think Sarah Obras has been at Ball State four years.
The junior women's volleyball outside attacker has already gotten her name to drop all over Ball State's record book, and she's only half way through her career.
Obras was able to come in immediately and contribute to a team that won the Mid-American Conference Tournament and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2002. She started all 33 matches and was the only member of the team to play in all 127 games that season.
"Sarah had a terrific year as a freshman primarily because she was so ready for it," head coach Randy Litchfield said. "Her game was so evolved in the front court that playing front court at a high college level was not a problem."
She showed that with her 498 kills on the season, a freshman record, which led to many honors. She was named the MAC Freshman of the Year and her teammates voted her the Frontcourt Player of the Year.
Last season, record breaking as it was for Obras, did not fulfill the expectations of the team. The Cardinals had to deal with several key injuries that left Obras as one of the only go-to players.
"Sarah in 2003 was forced to carry too much of the load for us," Litchfield said. "We just had to give her the ball way too much last year because of our health situation.
"The load that she handled for us without breaking down physically is a phenomenal feat, and not enough people will ever appreciate that."
All of the sets she received gave her a Ball State-, MAC- and NCAA-record 1,981 attempts during a season. The record, while it speaks well for Obras's character as a player, is one Litchfield said he does not like.
"It shows what kind of player and what kind of athlete Sarah is and what kind of skill level she plays at to handle that many swings," Litchfield said. "From a team standpoint, it's a really dubious honor and not one I'm very proud of."
Besides the attempts record, Obras also set nine other records during her sophomore season. Her kills per game average of 5.39 was a Ball State record and also ranked 2nd in the MAC and 24th in the country. That average also moved her career average to 4.66, a Ball State record that ranks 24th in the nation.
The 695 kills she smashed was a Ball State and MAC record and ranked 13th in the country last season. It also gives her 1,193 career kills, 634 behind the Ball State record.
"She's our go to girl for sure, and even though she would probably disagree with this, she handles that very well," senior teammate Stephanie Keller said. "If she's not playing well, we're not going to win the match, end of story, and that's a lot of pressure as a hitter."
Obras also helped the Cardinals in the backcourt, getting 558 digs on the season. Prior to her time at Ball State, the record for most matches with 20 or more kills and 20 or more digs in a season and career was two. Her freshman year she had three, and last year she had eight.
She was also the only player in the country to finish in the top 50 in the country for both kills per game and digs per game averages. She ranked 17th in kills with 5.39 and 32nd in digs with 4.33.
Senior Stacie Baldwin said Obras is a very consistent player who it's nice to have someone like her on the team.
"Sarah brings a feisty go-get-them attitude, like give me the ball I'm going to put the ball down," Baldwin said. "I think that's something our team needs."
For Obras, the realization that she couldn't carry the team on her shoulders set in toward the end of the season.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself last year, I was extremely hard on myself, and I always felt like if we lost it was completely my fault," Obras said. "I feel like I've kind of gotten over that, and I've fixed that a little bit and realized that's not where I need to put my identity."
This season Litchfield said he wants to get her a few less sets and get them to her in better situations, something that will be easier with better team depth compared to last season.
"I think she'll be more of a relaxed player and just be freer to play great volleyball," Litchfield said. "With better balance, I think we'll have a better Sarah Obras.
"It was a real good Sarah Obras last year; could be better this year."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
