Go to Volleyball Section

Go to Olympic Section

Go to Sports Section

Ex-Volleyball Star's New Role

ATLANTA (AP) -- Once she was considered the best in the world at her sport, the kind of player opponents had to gang up on to stop and teammates turned to in a jam.

Now U.S. volleyball player Caren Kemner isn't even the No. 1 player on her team. In fact, she doesn't even start.

On the eve of her third and what she says is her final Olympics, the 31-year-old Kemner is a role player hoping for a chance to help.

``Do you know how hard it is to go your entire career being the best at what you do, whether it's kickball or softball or volleyball, and then be a backup?'' Kemner said. ``It hurts my gut.''

It wasn't always this way. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Kemner dominated her sport. Six times she was the U.S. female volleyball player of the year. She played in the 1988 Olympics, helped her team win a bronze medal in the 1990 world championships and was named to the ``all-spectacular'' team after the United States won the bronze at the 1992 Olympics.

Later, Kemner left the U.S. team to play professionally in Japan, then came back in June 1995. She fully expected to return to the starting lineup, only to find coach Terry Liskevych had other plans.

Some talented youngsters were reaching their prime and they were becoming the team's top players. Kemner would have to resign herself to coming off the bench when the team needed a lift.

That's not what she wanted to hear.

``I went home and kicked some boxes,'' Kemner said.

She also realized she still could be an important part of her team. One thing Kemner had developed during her long career was versatility. She can be an outside hitter, a middle blocker, hit from the opposite side or play defense in the back row.

``I can set if I had to,'' she said. ``Both setters go down tomorrow, I'm in there.

``I haven't taken them out yet,'' she added with a laugh. ``I've thought about it.''

So now Kemner sees herself in the role of Dennis Eckersley or Jose Mesa.

``I stand a little longer than I'd like to, but if that's what it requires for me to be on the court during the gold medal point, I'll be there,'' she said. ``I'm the closer. I'm like the relief pitcher who ends these puppies now. I don't have to do all the jumping before.''

Still, such things don't come easily for one of the most competitive athletes on a team of competitors. If she hasn't accepted it, Kemner recognizes she has to deal with it.

And she's not alone. Another former Olympian, Paula Weishoff, also is a reserve now. Weishoff was named the outstanding player at the 1992 games.

``In my mind, it's something we didn't expect, because we thought Caren and Paula would come back and all of a sudden be starters,'' Liskevych said. ``But it worked so well last year, that they were players we could use in so many different roles, and now that's been magnified.

``They're invaluable, and Caren has adjusted very well to that. Hey, she wants to start. Any great player wants to start. But she knows if we need her, she's going to be out there.''

Out there and ready to play.

``You have to suck it up, because it's still important,'' Kemner said. ``I've gotten myself back in really good shape. I can still go out there and play, and the teams that we play against know I can still play ball. And that's the key. I've got them mentally right where I want them.''