Her serve, which she often struck from the far left side of the court so it zoomed with a screwball curve toward zones 5 and 6, played a big part in Penn State's back-to-back championships in 2013 and 2014, which gave the Nittany Lions an NCAA D1 record seven national titles. She was the 2014 AVCA Player of the Year and is currently participating in a U.S. national team training block.
Mostly, Micha scored points and put opponents out of system with her jump spin heater, but Penn State Coach Russ Rose will tell you that her float serve was also a big weapon – and the team's best.
Early in the season, Art of Coaching visited a Penn State practice and asked Micha to take us step by step through her serves. Check out the video to see what she had to say.
Thanks Micha. Very well said. A couple of questions. How do you make the ball curve? Also, when you contact the ball – is your arm “locked out” or do you try to keep a bit of a bend at the elbow? I am concerned about elbow injury when the elbow is completely extended, what I call “locked out”. Congratulations on a great season.
Jim Lubischer, Orenco, Oregon.