Andrean’s Nicksic likes soccer, but loves volleyball

Updated: September 6, 2011 10:05PM

Andrean setter Ana Nicksic spent her Sunday afternoon watching friend Steve Magura and his Wabash College soccer team take on Millikan University and her mind started to drift off a bit.

Nicksic once begged and pleaded with her mom to let her play soccer over volleyball. For a split second, she imagined what might of have happened had she traded her knee pads for shin guards and kicking a soccer ball over bumping a volleyball.

She quickly snapped back into reality.

The 59ers standout knows she’s exactly where she wants to be: a fan of soccer and a volleyball player.

Nicksic cried when her mom told her she couldn’t play soccer her fifth grade year at St. Paul’s in Valparaiso but mom knew best as the Andrean senior has become one of the area’s top setters.

She also earned a full-ride scholarship to play volleyball at Elon University in North Carolina next season. Nicksic committed to the Division I school in April and fell in love with the campus at first sight.

“I felt like I belonged there. It was perfect,” she said. “The girls were great. The coach was awesome. The campus is beautiful. I can’t imagine going anywhere else.”

Nicksic should also see major playing time next year as the Phoenix graduate of two of its setters.

She’s got business to attend to first, though, this season.

The 59ers have won eight of their first 10 matches and started the Northwest Crossroads Conference, 2-0. The big test is this week against Munster at home on Tuesday and Lowell on the road Thursday. Lowell is the defending conference champion.

Conference is the team’s first goal.

But what is different about this year’s team?

“We’re more disciplined. We really care for each other. It’s a better team environment. I don’t know what’s different — I can’t put my finger on it — but it’s definitely a change for the better,” Nicksic said. “And I hate losing. Winning conference would basically make my senior year.”

First-year coach Julie Wiejak has a lot of confidence in her team too. But Wiejak knows Nicksic makes it all work.

“She has a ton of God-given ability but from the setting vantage point, she’s got everything you need to be a wonderful setter,” said Wiejak, who led Bishop Noll to three sectional championships back in her playing days. “She’s competitive, she likes being in control, she likes the spotlight on her, she is a leader.

“I think she does a great job knowing her hitters and that’s such a great quality in a setter. She could hit for us and do amazing but what she brings by setting for our team is huge. She is like an extension of me out there but I never have to tell her anything but she’s a competitive fiery person.”

That competitive, fiery person wants to hang a couple banners up this year too. The 59ers haven’t won a sectional crown since 2008 and a regional title since 1998. Both are very attainable as the Class 3A Sectional 18 champion should be the favorite to beat the Sectional 17 champion when regionals roll around in late October.

Nicksic wants to go beyond that.

“Getting past sectionals, regionals, semistate and if we could go to state and win that. it would be crazy good,” she said. “I get butterflies thinking about it. It would make the summer workouts and everything all the more worth it.”

And make mom’s decision to put her daughter in volleyball all the more correct one.

“I couldn’t imagine doing anything different,” Nicksic said.

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