Miss Volleyball Finalist Profile: DeWitt’s Desiree Becker
Desiree Becker put together a Miss Volleyball-caliber resume during her first three years with DeWitt. So, when the future Northwestern Wildcat middle hitter approached first-year coach Kyle Anderson about changing positions in her senior year, it was pretty surprising. “Not…
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Continue ReadingDesiree Becker put together a Miss Volleyball-caliber resume during her first three years with DeWitt.
So, when the future Northwestern Wildcat middle hitter approached first-year coach Kyle Anderson about changing positions in her senior year, it was pretty surprising.
“Not a lot of kids have the ability to be an All-State middle and then come back the next year and say they want to change positions because that’s what is best for the team,” Anderson said.
After reaching the Class A semifinals last year, the Panthers lost seven seniors, creating a lot of inexperience on the court for 2018.
Recognizing the youthful roster, especially at setter, Becker felt she could better help the team by moving out of her natural position of middle hitter to play outside.
“To not only be that selfless, but to also play at a high level at a position she hasn’t played, I think that says a lot about her,” Anderson said.
The transition hasn’t been easy for Becker, as she experienced some struggles early on, but the stats and team results have been improving with each week.
“It’s been an up-and-down process this year,” Becker said. “Moving to the outside is definitely outside of my comfort zone so adjusting to that has been difficult, but I feel like I am getting better at it every day. It’s an uphill climb, but I think myself and the team are committed to keep improving.”
The Panthers are currently 13th in our Division 1 rankings but own some victories over top-10 teams. Becker is approaching 200 kills for the season and has over 120 digs and 35 aces.
“She’s a competitor and she loves to win. There have been struggles along the way during this transition, but she has stayed focused and committed on the team and the change is finally starting to hit a real upswing for her and for us,” Anderson said. “The stats are starting to show up and display really what she is capable of. I think she’s in for a really big second half of the season.”
Despite being in his first year as head coach of DeWitt, Anderson has been an assistant in previous years and has seen the growth of Becker as a player.
“It was easy to see that she was going to be special. She had all the physical attributes and her game was already elevated above most kids her age. It was just clear to see she was a different caliber of player,” he said. “She’s 6-2 and bigger than most players in our area, but then when you add in her work ethic, her talent, and her desire to get better, it’s easy to see why she’s risen to the level she has.”
As a sophomore, Becker was being mentored by then-senior middle Lexi Nordmann. She finished her season with 252 kills and 92 blocks. Last season, playing the primary middle role, Becker racked up 403 kills and 153 blocks to earn First Team All-State honors.
Now, as a senior, Becker is embracing the mentor roll that she experienced with Nordmann.
“It’s been fun to watch her this year because you see her starting to tutor the young players the way she was tutored when she was coming up,” Anderson said. “Desiree really looked up to Lexi Nordmann and allowed herself to be mentored by her. Now, she is mentoring our young middles and really showing herself to be an elite senior athlete that wants to give back to the program the way the program gave to her.”
Becker now finds herself as one of the 10 finalists for Miss Volleyball in 2018, an honor she was very happy to receive.
“I was super excited to be announced as a finalist. It really means so much,” Becker said. “To me, it’s recognition of all the hard work I have put in over the years and a symbol of how much I have improved throughout my career.”
After this year of playing the outside, Becker will go back to being a middle when she competes for the Wildcats in the Big Ten.
“I love everything about Northwestern,” Becker said. “Everything you can base your college decision on, Northwestern was perfect for every category for me. Academics is something that is very important for me as well as competition. Being able to compete in the Big Ten is a dream come true and getting a tremendous education was something I value a lot. All of the coaches and teammates I met made me feel like I was coming into a family and genuinely wanted to see me succeed. Northwestern just was the perfect package.”