UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik has raved about Brett Wildman's raw arm talent all season. The true freshman outside hitter from Virginia Beach, Virginia has played in every game for the Nittany Lions this season but had not been utilized as a go-to hitter until Penn State's pair of games last weekend against USC and UCLA.
Pavlik inserted Wildman into the lineup as an opposite hitter, where he has never played before, but Wildman still managed to tally 24 kills combined in the two matches out west.
Wildman replaced the incumbent Cal Mende over the weekend looking to bring a spark to the Nittany Lion offense, and he did just that, including a season-high 16 kills Friday against USC.
"That opposite spot has to put balls away and (Wildman) has been putting balls away at about a 50 percent clip, and lately (Mende) has been putting balls away at a little under one out of every three, and we just need to score points over there, so we just gave it a shot with (Wildman) to try to take a look at him over there and how he responded to it and he responded very nicely," Pavlik said.
Pavlik has emphasized to Wildman to trust his powerful arm rather than swinging to simply keep the ball in bounds, which Pavlik says is a common tentativeness among young hitters. As the season has progressed and Wildman has gained more experience at the collegiate level, he has learned that most of his success has come from playing with greater aggression and using his physicality to his advantage.
"I think that has been a huge thing for me. Not just being physical when I can be physical, but like (Pavlik) said to me to trust my arm, and know that I can go up and attack a big block and swing aggressively. It doesn't have to be a clean kill every time," Wildman said.
Wildman attributes his arm talent to playing baseball for much of his life. Once he made the switch to volleyball, the throwing motion he developed as a pitcher made for a seamless transition to volleyball. Over time that same arm motion has transformed him into a physically imposing hitter.
Wildman's unique physicality has enamored coaches around the country for years, as he was a member of the USA Boys Youth National Team in 2017. Several weeks ago, Wildman was also selected to represent the United States in the World University Games in Napoli, Italy this upcoming summer. He will be the youngest player on the roster and the only player representing the EIVA conference.
"I have been in the pipeline before, but every time you get a call or email, anything related to USA Volleyball, is first off super exciting and an honor to represent the United States. That's something that a lot of people dream about doing from when they're little, so just to have even the opportunity to do it is really exciting," Wildman said.
The World University Games will actually be Wildman's first time traveling outside of the United States, so he is most looking forward to seeing a different part of the world along with playing against some of the very best competition in the world.
"Competition wise I expect it to be the best there is in the world at this age group because I think a lot of people and a lot of countries take it very seriously and everyone wants to win," Wildman said. "I think my role will be the same as it is at (Penn State). Whenever my number gets called I'll be ready to go in at whatever position they tell me to play."
If Wildman keeps using that physically imposing arm swing he used last weekend, he'll be ready to go whenever his name is called.