Feb. 10, 2016
By Jack Milewski, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" One of the more overlooked positions in volleyball is the libero. They rarely put points on the board, their contacts are usually with their forearms as lofting passes to their teammates and they almost never get kills.
However, they almost always touch the ball on every point and the libero position is possibly the most crucial on the court.
For the Penn State Nittany Lions, last year Connor Curry, a fifth-year senior, manned the position and was one of the most notable libero's in the nation. This year they have a new face in the off-colored jersey, Royce Clemens.
Clemens is a redshirt freshman who is just eight games into his collegiate career and already making a name for himself in Happy Valley. Not only does the lanky freshman have superb athletic talents that translate well to the game of volleyball, but according to head coach Mark Pavlik, he also has the necessary mentality to succeed at this level.
"Royce never gets down on himself," said Pavlik. "There was this one sequence when we were playing Lewis where it was three overpasses in a row in the fifth set. But Royce never got discouraged. He had a look on his face that was like 'I can't believe that happened again,' he never has his head down."
Being thick-skinned is especially important at the libero position as they are tasked with receiving the serves on most rallies. For those who know the game of volleyball, some serves are incredibly hard to receive. Clemens laughed when asked about the Lewis match and says that his upbeat attitude on the court is a full credit to his parents.
"I think it's from growing up from my parents," said Clemens. "My parents have always preached thinking about the next point. I played multiple sports so it was always about what is about to happen and what I can do to influence the next play."
Clemens has had a few growing pains this season, as is customary to any player at this level, but he has also excelled in many facets of the game. For every mistake he has made, he seems to do something good right after Pavlik explained. Clemens says it is a credit to his teammates for helping him grow and learn from his mistakes on the court.
"My team, all the guys around me have been through what I'm going through now," said Clemens. "They have all been younger players and they have been in my shoes and they are very understanding about that."
Clemens is a fairly local boy, hailing from York, Pa. Being a three-sport varsity athlete in high school, Clemens was coveted by the Nittany Lion's for his athletic ability. According to Clemens, he knew he wanted to be a Nittany Lion since 2008.
"Well I came and watched when [Penn State] hosted the national championship in 2008," said Clemens. "I think after that is when I really started knowing that I wanted to play for this program."
Because of his superior athleticism as a local player, the Nittany Lions had Clemens on their radar well before he graduated. But Pavlik says that it wasn't really until this season that he really got what he was expecting when it came to Clemens as a player.
"When he came into the gym after the offseason, he was a new player," said Pavlik. "He has continued that growth and it has been fun to watch this year."
Last season Clemens redshirted under Curry and had a full season to learn from one of the premier libero's in the country. According to Clemens, the experience was invaluable and critical to his success this season.
"Connor was one of the best liberos I have ever seen play," said Clemens. "He was sort of the unsung hero last year I think. He was really consistent with his passing and defense and we would work out together just the two of us so I could get extra reps and I think that really paid off in the long run."
Consistency, like that which Curry displayed last year and throughout his time at Penn State, is incredibly important at the libero position. If the passes are consistent, it puts the team in a great position to succeed every point. For Clemens, Pavlik says that the consistency he has shown this season has been what he is most pleased about.
"I really just liked his consistency so far," said Pavlik. "Anytime you look at that position, they are tasked with making as many first contacts as possible and you're coming off a fifth year senior who has done everything and you're looking at [Clemens] to see where his learning curve is at. For Royce his learning curve has been off the charts and he is not only building off of what he knows, but he has the confidence to go out and do what he needs to do now."
Clemens has already made a big splash with his teammates as well. He explained that they all mentor him, but Pavlik says that he now has the confidence to be vocal on the court and take a leadership role himself.
"You can just notice him getting more comfortable every match," said Pavlik. "And now he is at a point where he is confident in taking charge and wanting to go get that first ball instead of maybe waiting for it to come to him."
Clemens' growth was on full display in the Nittany Lions' most recent match against Mount Olive. Multiple times during the match Clemens sold out for balls and saved the vast majority of them, keeping rallies alive for his team. A few of the balls seemed unreachable, but Clemens motored to get them. This is probably why his teammates have started to call him 'Wheels'.
"Royce is a fantastic athlete," said Pavlik. "He's quick, the guys nickname for him is wheels. He can go from point A to point B pretty quickly and I think he is just figuring out now how to use that strength and make it a strength for the team."
Clemens has used his athleticism to lead the team with a team high 62 digs and he is receiving almost 95 percent of the serves he sees cleanly. However, despite his early season success and the praise he has received from both his coach and teammates, Clemens still believes he has a long way to go.
"I think I have a lot more to grow," said Clemens. "I know I'm not nearly where I can be at this point. I know I have a lot of room to improve still so hopefully in the next couple months I learn to make the right reads and use my athletic ability to get the balls up that could help change the game."
Even with all that being said, Clemens has certainly been a spark plug for the Nittany Lions this season. The redshirt freshman has used his athleticism and his quick learning curve to take charge in the middle of the back row and based on his growth thus far and his attitude towards improvement, Clemens could become a household name with the Penn State men's volleyball team in no time.