Rowland Hits In Rarefied Air
October 21, 2010 | Volleyball
Oct. 21, 2010
By Gregg Bell
UW Director of Writing
SEATTLE - Bianca Rowland began looking Olympian almost as soon as she joined the Huskies volleyball team two years ago.
Not U.S. Olympian. Not yet -- though the 6-foot middle blocker, outside hitter and honorable mention All-American as a sophomore last season aspires to play for the national team.
Rowland looked ancient Olympian. Coach Jim McLaughlin instilled in both her attacking position and in striking the ball a sort of Citius, Altius, Fortius pose.
The result: The former basketball player - her first Huskies recruiting letter in high school was from former women's hoops coach June Daugherty - turned into a record-breaking hitter.
"He taught me a certain way to bring both arms forward, throw them up vigorously in the air, then have a bow-and-arrow pose and torque my body," Rowland said, explaining more of McLaughlin's renowned physics lessons of his sport.
"'Jump high. Hit it hard,' that's what he always says. Throw your arms up to jump."
She's been skyin' ever since.
Rowland leads all Husky attackers with a .412 attack percentage while playing in all 58 of the Huskies' sets this season.
In 2009, she broke the UW record with a .456 hitting percentage. That was the best in the Pac-10, third-best in the NCAA and third-best in the history of the conference behind only former Stanford Player of the Year and U.S. Olympian Foluke Akinradewo.
Rowland will be trying to restore Washington's hitting dominance on Friday night when the seventh-ranked Huskies (15-3, 4-3 Pac-10) host No. 25 Arizona (14-6, 3-4), and on Saturday when Arizona State (8-11, 3-4) visits Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
The Huskies were uncharacteristically out-hit last weekend while losing at No. 2 Stanford and fifth-ranked California, the Pac-10's co-leaders at 7-1 in league play.
"Last weekend was a tough weekend," Rowland said. "We took it more as a learning experience, because we really hadn't faced adversity like that all season. It helps us to know how to handle those situations, on the road, should they come up again."
Rowland is used to being home at Montlake. And not just because UW's trip to the Bay Area last weekend came after three consecutive home matches, all victories.
She grew up in the Seattle suburbs. Her father Ron was a tailback for the Huskies football team in 1976-77, and her mother Willie Rowland was a UW cheerleader. So she's been on campus ever since she was old enough to hold a ball or a pompom.
Bianca played basketball and volleyball and ran track at King's High School, and the loaded schedule contributed to a stress fracture in her lower leg. The injury wiped out her junior season of high school. It also caused her parents to strongly suggest she pick one sport to focus on for her final prep year, in the name of preservation.
She's sure glad she chose volleyball.
"I love it here," she said off the court Wednesday at Hec Ed, while workers behind her readied the arena for President Barack Obama's appearance there on Thursday. "I love our coaches. They are so easy to talk to. They teach so well, and they are not just focused on you as a player but are also focused on making you a better person for the rest of your life.
"I couldn't imagine being treated any better."
Nor could Rowland imagine being a ... gulp ... Cougar - though she put a scare into her folks with a recruiting visit to Washington State a few years ago.
"You can go wherever you want," Bianca says she remembers her Husky parents telling her.
But their daughter still flashes a smile that reveals she knew the truth.
"I can't imagine going to any other school," she said behind the grin.
The American Ethic Studies major says she wants to perhaps branch off into psychology someday.
That day, however, may have to wait a while for volleyball.
She would like to play for the national team, though she fears she's not tall enough to do that as a middle blocker. So she's glad McLaughlin also has her training as an outside hitter.
Maybe she can use that versatility in Spain. That's where Rowland wants to play professionally, because she's learned it's such a great place to live and play.
As for her final one and a half seasons remaining at Washington, Rowland's goals are simple and clear.
"Becoming an All-American," she said. "And winning a national title -- of course."
