by Eileen Carroll
Senior co-captain Alicia Salas has covered a lot of ground in her four years at Notre Dame. Ranked 14th nationally in singles, Salas has come a long way from the No. 8 position she occupied in the Irish line-up as a freshman.
Salas was 12-6 in the fall of ’03, registering eight wins over ranked opponents. She knocked off three ranked foes to qualify for the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships, the first leg of the collegiate grand slam, in October and then reached the final in the ITA Midwest Championships.
As a freshman, Salas, a 2000 graduate of Cherry Creek High School in Englewood Colo., did not see much time on the courts. Head coach Jay Louderback notes that there were other players with more experience and that Salas had to work on a few things in her game.
“Coming from Denver, Alicia was used to playing in high altitude. She worked on hitting the ball deeper, hitting it harder and getting more pace on it. She worked on being more aggressive and we changed her volleys.”
A solid work ethic and some playing time in summer tournaments allowed Salas to make her presence known as a sophomore. Playing mostly at the No. 4 position, Salas posted a 24-3 dual match record in singles, tying the Notre Dame record for wins in a season.
Louderback cites Salas’ ability to adapt and make transitions as essential to her success. “Alicia is a great competitor. During her freshman year, she really wanted to be out playing. Each time she has moved up, her ability to compete well has helped her make those transitions.”
For a competitor like Salas, who won four Colorado state titles watching the action from the sidelines is not much fun. However, she was able to use the lessons she learned as a freshman to her advantage.
“By my sophomore year I had learned what I needed to do in order to play in the lineup and the level I needed to compete at. By then I was excited and really motivated.”
Despite her success as a sophomore, Salas was not content to settle in at the middle of the Irish lineup, she kept up the quick pace, making the transition from No. 4 to the top two positions in 2003. She had to adjust to tougher competition and facing the nation’s best players on a daily basis.
Salas feels the experience of the move has allowed her to improve in responding to the competition.
“I feel like I have learned a lot from playing at the top two positions last year,” Salas says. “I’ve realized what kind of competitors I’ll be facing, and I’ve learned how to play a different kind of game. I’ve built off those two transition years and I’ve learned a lot from them.” . The wide range of experiences throughout her Notre Dame career shaped Salas leadership skills as well as her game.
“She works really hard and is just a great example,” Louderback notes. “For the girls not in the lineup, all they need to do is look at what Alicia did. She did things the right way. It’s given her a lot of credibility with everyone on the team because she has come so far.”
Salas feels she can draw on the last three years in her role as a team captain.
“One of the things I’ve been able to do is relate to everyone on the team because I’ve been at most of those positions in my career. I’ve been through quite a range of emotions and through successes and failures in my four years, so as a captain, I can be understanding of the other players and what they are going through.”
Salas hopes to continue on the same path in the upcoming dual-match season.
“I know it is my last season, so part of me is trying to put everything out of my head and just have fun with it. No matter what happens, I am going to go out and enjoy it because the experience has been so valuable to me that I want to end on a good note.”
According to Louderback, ending on a good note should not be too difficult for Salas. “This is my 25th year coaching, and she has improved more than anyone I’ve ever had. She came in playing No.8 as a freshman, and now she has a chance to be an All-American, which would be an amazing feat, especially because she has done it so fast.”