There are only four players in the Pac-12 with a hitting percentage over .400. UA senior Merle Weidt is one of them: She leads the conference in hitting percentage at .451.
“I think it’s a product of the hard work that we do here in Arizona and the hard work we put in every day in practice to really produce those results,” Weidt said. “It’s really satisfying to be on the top.”
Weidt and the Wildcats return home this weekend. They’ll host Washington on Friday at 6 p.m. and Washington State on Sunday at noon.
Weidt’s success may come as a bit of a surprise at first glance. Undersized as a middle blocker and “not a great jumper,” coach Dave Rubio says, Weidt possesses one thing that has allowed her to be so dominant at the net this season: relentless determination.
“She’s got a great motor,” Rubio said. “She’s so motivated and works so hard and she’s very reliable.”
Weidt credits her breakout season to her adaptability and years of experience built up at both the college level and the international circuit in Germany. She calls herself “a very versatile player.”
“I think one of the reasons why I am the leading hitter in hitting percentage is not because I’m really hitting the hardest or hitting the highest; it’s more about being able to work with sets that are not perfect and just always being on time and being able to have the right attacking choice with the ball,” she said.
Weidt’s maturity and ability to be a good teammate are what separates her from the others, Rubio says. Rubio has naturally relied on Weidt, one of the team’s two seniors, to be a mentor for some of the younger players.
“She’s a team leader, she does so many things for the team,” Rubio said. “You’re like talking to a 30-year-old woman versus someone that’s 21. Very worldly, has a great head on her shoulders. You can see her in 20 years being the CEO of some company.
“There’s certain kids that you coach and you go, ‘That kid’s going to make it no matter what she’s going to do.’ She is certainly one of those people.”
Weidt has taken on that leadership role since transferring from Rutgers two seasons ago. She’s even given some of the younger Wildcats nicknames, calling them her “little middles.”
“Really trying to be there for them every time they have a question because practice can be very confusing,” Weidt said. “If there’s a question, I really just try to be there for them … Just really being a person for them that they are not afraid to ask any questions.”
Leadership is something that comes naturally to Weidt, who has taken full advantage of her situation and enjoys being the rock that her younger teammates can lean on when needed.
“I think it’s been a product of my personality,” Weidt said. “Just now this year it’s really coming into play with having also young middles that look for someone that they can look up to and that can help them so I think it’s a combination of both. This year is providing me that opportunity to be able to use those leadership skills and help them out.”
Youth clashes with experience
The Wildcats are young; that’s a given.
On Friday, Arizona faces a Washington team that might be a polar opposite.
“They’re old and experienced,” Rubio said. “Washington comes in with, basically, two super seniors and three seniors — even though they’re listed as juniors, they really would be seniors. They were really good before so you add another year of experience on to that group and they’re physical, they’re big in their experience and their skill and they’re well-coached.”
Rubio says the Wildcats must play “like veterans” to compete.
“They’re not going to give you a lot of room to breathe,” Rubio said. “There’s just such a small margin for error so we have to be able to handle that pressure and stress that goes with that by consistently executing our skills and focus on ourselves.”
