University of Tennessee Athletics
COACH PATRICK BUILT SUCCESS AROUND WILSON AND LEAR
September 21, 2001 | Volleyball
Sept. 21, 2001
By Justin Gallagher
When UT volleyball head coach Rob Patrick finished his first season on the Hill in 1997 with a 15-19 record, he needed to find a cornerstone on which to anchor his up-and-coming program.
Luckily for him, he found two building blocks.
Tennessee seniors Ariana Wilson and Erica Lear serve as the volleyball team's dynamic duo. Wilson was a first-team All-SEC selection last season, and Lear made the conference's second team. Both were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I All-South District Team.
Without this pair, the volleyball team would not have achieved the success that it has had over the last three years, Patrick said.
"We would not be where we're at without these two," Patrick said. "They have pretty much started every game since they've been here."
The process of rebuilding the Lady Vol volleyball team was very gratifying for Wilson. The steady progression of UT's volleyball program over the last four years has also helped her develop the confidence to step forward and share advice and lend support to teammates.
| "We would not be where we're at without these two. They have pretty much started every game since they've been here." -Head Coach Rob Patrick" |
"I think it's helped me to be a better leader on the floor," said Wilson, a redshirt senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, who is majoring in advertising. "I saw it from the beginning when things just weren't going well, and I see it (the success) now. I know I don't want to go back to how it was in the beginning."
Last season with Lear and Wilson serving as team captains, the volleyball team made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1993. Lear said she won't settle for anything less this year.
"It was a great experience, but we want to do so much more and go so much farther," said Lear, a senior English major from Columbus, Ind. "Now, going there and making a name for yourself in the tournament would mean much more."
On the volleyball court, Wilson and Lear blend together as naturally as peanut butter and jelly. Wilson, a 6-2 middle blocker, led the SEC in 2000 with 4.77 kills per game and posted a career-high 30 kills twice last season in matches against LSU and Kentucky. The 5-foot-9 Lear was the conference's leading setter last season with 13.60 assists per game. Lear is also close to surpassing the UT career record for assists, many of which have come on sets to her classmate.
"A thing that we have in common is that we always want the ball," Lear said. "We work well together because we're on the same page. That's what makes us a good one-two punch."
Wilson said experience, hard work and dedication have helped forge their unstoppable chemistry on the volleyball court.
"It's a good chemistry," Wilson said. "I can look at her and just see what she wants me to run. We just connect really well."
Another sport the pair has in common is basketball. Wilson's older brother, Derek, plays professional basketball in Luxembourg. Her father, George, starred for the University of Cincinnati before spending time in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers. He also won a gold medal in basketball at the 1964 Olympic Games.
"Basketball had been in my house since I was born, so I wanted to try something different," Wilson said of her decision in high school to focus her energy on volleyball and not basketball.
Lear, growing up in the Hoosier State, was very involved in basketball in high school. She was an all-state selection in basketball her senior season at Columbus East High School.
"You basically grow up to believe that basketball is the only sport when you are from Indiana," Lear said. "When I have a chance, I always like to pick up a basketball and get into a game."
As intense as these two are on the volleyball court, the classroom plays just as big of a role. For Wilson - a member of the Lady Vol Honor Roll and an All-SEC Academic selection last year - UT has been a place to hone not only her volleyball skills but her life skills as well.
"It's pretty hard because you don't have much free time (between school and volleyball)," she said. "One of the good things to come out of it has been that I manage my time a lot better."
Entering the SEC portion of the schedule with home matches against LSU (Sept. 21, 7 p.m.) and Arkansas (Sept. 23, 2 p.m.) with a relatively young team, Lear and Wilson know that they will need to raise their level of play even more - something they've been doing the last three years.
"It's the biggest part of our season," Lear said. "There's a sense of urgency to dominate the SEC because that puts us in a good spot for the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. We have to dominate the matches, and we can't mess around."
