VOLLEYBALL PROFILE
Charroin obsessed with volleyball
Finds adjustment to new position difficult
By Robert Weber
Emetald Sports Reporter
To Dawnn Charroin playing
volleyball is not just something
she enjoys It is an obsession.
"Volleyball is basically my
life." Charroin said, "and if my
volleyball is going well then so
is my life."
"I plan on playing for many
years to come." she said. "Col
lege is not the end of the road
tor me."
Charroin’s junior year has
been something of a transition
al one Coach Gerry Gregory
decided that due to a lack of
outside hitters it would he nec
essary to move Charroin from
her natural position of middle
blocker to the outside.
"Dawnn is probably a belter
middle blocker than outside
hitter." Gregory said, "hut
she's made the switch for the
good of the team with a good
attitude."
Charroin is excited about the
team's success this season, hut
she feels that playing a new po
sition has prevented her from
playing to her full capabilities.
"It's frustrating at times be
cause I'm not as good at out
side hitter as I am at middle
blocker.” Charroin said. "1 feel
that if I had about two more
months 1 could lx* on top of my
game because I'm finally begin
ning to understand everything
about the new position."
The Ducks are currently
holding down third place in
the Pacific-10 Conference with
a :t-2 I’m-10 mark and an 11-4
overall record. They moved
into third after splitting two
matches in l,os Angeles last
weekend
After getting drubbed by
UCLA in three quick games,
the Ducks bounced back to tie
feat CSC for a lug conference
road w in
"Nobody really thought we
would win either game down
there." Charroin said, "but I
never thought we were going to
lose to l JS(!
Another highlight of the sea
son for both Charroin and the
Ducks was a five game mar
athon victory over Oregon Slate
at McArthur Court.
"The Oregon State game was
a big win for us.” Charroin
said, "because they hud beaten
us in Fullerton (Calif.) when
we really gave them the victo
ry."
Personal success, .is well as
team success, is nothing new
for Charroin. As a senior at Ma
rina High School in Huntington
Beach. Calif.. Charroin was one
of the top tl) recruits in the
country. Her decision to attend
Oregon caught a few people off
guard.
"Some of my close friends
were going to UCLA.''
Charroin said, "but I decided
that I really wanted to get out
of the state."
"Choosing Oregon was a gut
feeling." she said "I was play
ing in a basketball tournament
my senior year, and I got this
gut feeling that Oregon was the
place for me.”
Charroin made an impact on
the program from the very !«•
ginning She earned a starting
spot as .1 freshman and isn't
about to give it up
She quickly established tier
sell as one of the far to's top
blot kers with 1 !> bloc ks per
game1 as a freshman plu< mg her
17th in the- nation
“Davvnn is one of the best
bloc kers in the f’ac It)." C.rego
r\ said "She's very competent
in all a spec Is of the game1 and
has vastly improved her serv
mg and defense in the past two
years.”
blocking and hitting are two
things that Charroin feels
makes her a good player, but
she s.ivs a desire to get better is
what really makes her tick
"The lies! thing I have going
for me is that I don’t really feel
that I am a good volleyball
player." Charroin said, "and
that, combined with the fact
that I hate losing more than
anything else, helps to make
me want to improve."
Charroin has displayed her
skills on the national level the
past two years at the Olympic
Sports Festival. She hopes that
competing at that level will
help lead her to a spot on the
national squad in the future.
"The Olympic Festivals were
great." Charroin said. "It's
what made me want to see how
far I can go with my game. "
PHolu b) S#«n Pmlun
Oregon's Dawnn Charroin considers volleyball her entire life,
but it's been difficult for the Duck star this season, trying to
learn a new position at outside hitter after being a middle
blocker for her first two seasons at Oregon. CJiarroin plans to
continue playing volleyball even after her college career is
over.
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