Cassie Clarke is no stranger to high-level competition. From growing up with a star basketball player brother, to leading the University of Arkansas Razorbacks on the volleyball court, Clarke knows how to compete. And she usually comes out on top.
A native of Fayetville, Ark., Clarke left the Razorbacks this past season to join the Billikens and new volleyball Head Coach Kent Miller after setter Hannah Kvitle followed former SLU coach Anne Kordes to the University of Louisville. Since arriving this past July, Clarke seems to be settling right in at SLU, noting the positives she has seen at at the University.
“The team gets along a lot better and the work ethic is great,” Clarke said. “Here, you don’t have to worry about girls taking days off.”
Clarke has been competitive since a young age, picking up basketball at the age of 6, and a volleyball not long afterward. Her brother, Rotnei, just 18 months older than her, was a three-year starter on the University of Arkansas men’s basketball team before transferring to Butler University.
In part because of this competitive upbringing, Clarke said it is important for her to relax and have fun. “I’m just really particular about details, and get caught up in that, and forget to relax and play,” Clarke said.
Like her brother, Clarke was a star on the basketball court in high school, earning state MVP honors on an undefeated state championship team. However, she still chose to pursue volleyball collegiately.
“I loved playing the actual [basketball] games, but the training and consistently working on my shot I didn’t enjoy as much,” Clarke said.
With the departure of Kvitle as the team’s starting setter, Clarke saw an opportunity to step up and has seized it this summer. Last year, she led the Razorbacks in setting and is poised to provide the same support for the Billikens this year. In this past week’s Hawkeye Challenge, Clarke provided 90 assists for the team, providing a foundation for solid attacking by the team as a whole.
Clarke was also named MVP of the Hawkeye Challenge.
“I never really see it as an individual award because it’s just my assists,” Clarke said of the honor. “I wouldn’t have gotten that many if my hitters didn’t put the ball down.
It is this passion that has been driving Clarke to work hard to learn the playing styles of her Billken teammates, so that they can compete for an Atlantic 10 Conference. No doubt it has been a tedious process adjusting to a new system, but Clarke said she has adjusted well.
“It’s a difficult position being a setter because you have to know all your hitters, where they like the ball, what height, what location,” Clarke said. “That’s a little bit difficult, but we’ve really worked on that a lot and slowed things down. The team has really helped giving me feedback too.”
Clarke said she is confident that her new team can compete for a conference title. The results of this past weekend’s tournament prove a conference championship is not out of this team’s reach.
“Coming out this weekend and beating a Big East and Big 10 team kind of showed us and gave us confidence that we can do it,” Clarke said.
She also readily admits that there is still work to be done, acknowledging that the SLU slipped up in the final match of the tournament, losing to Central Michigan University.
“We can compete with the big name schools and the good teams, but we also need to stay focused on other games, as well,” Clarke said.
Still, the results from the Billikens’ first outing are promising, as Clarke and the other newcomers seem to be meshing well with the veterans.
They will have to build off their early success in order to be competitive against approaching high-profile matches against the University of North Carolina and the Univeristy of Minnesota. Expectations remain high for this Billiken squad, and this weekend’s results only affirmed that they can compete at a high level if they remain focused.
