By Mike Kilroy Eagle Staff Writer
Seneca Valley libero Angela Seman sprawls to keep the volleyball off the floor in last season’s win over Mt. Lebanon in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals. Seman’s defensive prowess was key to the Raiders’ run to a WPIAL championship and PIAA semifinal appearance in 2011. Butler Eagle File Photo |
| Angela Seman wears her bruises like badges of honor. Seman is a junior libero for the Seneca Valley girls volleyball team. The job description for her position is not for the faint of heart: * Must be willing to spend most nights sprawled out on the court. * Must be able to react in an instant. * Must be able to do the dirty work without much glory. * Must be able to withstand pain — a lot of pain. Seman gladly accepts all of it with a smile. “Playing libero,” Seman says, pausing to collect her thoughts, “you know you’re going to get hurt. You know you are going to be covered in bumps and bruises. You know you’re going to have a dislocated everything. And you know nobody is going to notice.” Seman pauses again. “But you do it,” she says, “because you love it.” The libero is unlike any other position on the volleyball court. She is the quarterback, the catcher and the goalie all wrapped into one. It is perhaps the most demanding position in all of team sports — and likely the most important one, too. If a team has a good one, like Seman, it can do great things like the Raiders were able to do last season. With Seman gobbling up spikes like Ms. Pacman does digital pellets, Seneca Valley advanced to the PIAA Class AAA semifinals. “Having a great libero makes all the difference in the world,” said Seneca Valley coach Karen Martini. “And Angie is a great libero. I’d say she’s the best libero in the WPIAL.” It’s not difficult to spot Seman, or any other libero, on the court. She’s the one wearing a different color jersey than the rest of her teammates. |
