Women's B-Ball Signee Janae Voelker

[orustatboy]

It's a little lengthy, but there was a good article on incoming ORU freshman Janae Voelker this week in the Hutchinson News . . .

Voelker personifies winning

The Hutchinson News

When time slows down a bit for Janae Voelker this coming school year at Oral Roberts, she may pass the time by playing a little pool or pingpong.

Pity the person who decides to challenge Voelker. Not only will the challenger be going up against a tremendous all-around athlete, but also Voelker doesn't like to lose in anything.

She certainly didn't lose much during her illustrious high school career at Newton. Voelker finished in the top four at Class 5A state tournaments in volleyball, soccer and basketball. She won a state title in basketball in March, and she also finished her strong track career in May with two of her five career gold medals.

With her success in track and basketball, plus helping Newton to a fourth-place finish in volleyball this past school year, Voelker has been named The News' area female athlete of the year. She's the second winner from Newton, joining 1986 winner Elyse Funk.

While Voelker's passion to win was evident during games, it didn't take her putting on a Railroaders uniform to get fired up.

"Playing games at practice, I'd expect everyone on my team to go all out or I'd be upset if we lose," Voelker said. "I take everything I do seriously."

That's understandable for the sports she played, but will Voelker have that same drive in a friendly game of pool in a college dormitory?

"I'll try to keep my cool," Voelker said with a laugh. "But I'll still be upset (if she loses). That's just my nature."

Voelker's coaches took note of her competitive ways, and they wouldn't have wanted Voelker to be any other way.

"If we'd play three on three, four on four, or whatever, she had to win. There was no other option," Newton girls basketball coach Randy Jordan said. "In that regards, I've never coached a kid that had a will to win like that. It's remarkable."

No matter the season or sport, Voelker was a big reason the Railers were generally one of the few teams left competing at the end of the season.

Not her best, but still one of the best

Voelker didn't start playing volleyball until she was in the seventh grade. She enjoyed playing, but she always had a fondness for soccer - the first competitive sport she played - and basketball, which is what she's playing at Oral Roberts.

"I'll definitely miss my teammates, and I'll still play for fun, but I don't think I'll miss it like I would basketball," Voelker said.

Voelker was still a big reason the Railers went 39-7 and finished fourth at the 5A state tournament.

"I was disappointed at the time, but looking back, it was a big accomplishment as a team," Voelker said. "Our No. 1 priority from day one was to do better than we had in years past and end on a good note."

Newton had been to the previous two state tournaments but had not advanced past pool play.

The Railers entered their final pool-play match last year needing to beat McPherson to advance to the semifinals. Down a game, Newton came back, in part to Voelker's nine kills and six block points, and rallied for a three-game win and a berth in the semifinals.

Newton ended up losing to Bishop Miege in the semifinals and Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the third-place match.

While volleyball isn't Voelker's sport of choice, she had the same demeanor as she did in any other sport.

"I was at a volleyball match one time, and she took the team on her shoulders," Jordan said. "They were almost beat, and they came back to win."

The best player on the best team

At 5 feet, 11 inches, Voelker isn't quite big enough to be a true post player, and she's almost too tall to be a guard.

But no matter where she played on the basketball court, Voelker - The News' area player of the year - was almost unstoppable. She could post up against taller players and use her strength to muscle her way to the basket. She could step out past the 3-point line and bury shots all day. And she could pass the ball as graceful and with as much accuracy as any point guard.

"I guess, from what I've been told, I'm a complete player," Voelker said. "I know I'm short for the post, but sometimes, I had to adjust to the kind of game that was going on. I just filled in wherever I was needed to help the team win."

Voelker's stats could be considered modest at 15.3 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals per game - she could have at least scored 20 points a game had that been Jordan's game plan - but both Voelker and Jordan didn't mind.

"She's satisfied with a state championship," Jordan said.

Yes, even though she wasn't considered one of the state's top five players, the 5A state championship was ultimately what Voelker wanted.

"Honestly, it still hasn't sunk in totally," Voelker said. "It's awesome. Not going to state the year before to winning it all is crazy. It really feels great to go out as a state champion your senior year."

The missing link missing

As a three-year letterwinner for the girls soccer team, Voelker was on three of the best Newton teams ever. As a freshman, Newton was Class 5-4-3-2-1A state runner-up to Bishop Miege. The next year, the Railers finished fourth. As a junior, Voelker was an all-area selection at sweeper for another regional championship team.

But this year, Voelker decided to concentrate on track and not play soccer.

Even if Voelker had played, the Railers would have had an inexperienced team, but her presence would have likely resulted in more than the five wins the Railers had.

"I think it would have made a difference based on her experience and overall athletic ability," said soccer coach Galen Anderson, who said that Voelker, like in basketball, could have played every position. "She would have shored up our defense this year. She's such a hard worker with a lot of natural ability, but no one will outwork her."

Voelker admits it was hard not playing soccer, but she also feels she did the right thing by focusing on track.

"I missed it a lot. It hurt to see my teammates out there struggling," Voelker said. "It really hurt. It was the right decision, but I regret having to choose a sport. I really wish it could have ended differently for them."

Going out No. 1

Voelker doesn't have any problem rattling off how she did at the state track meet each year.

When talking of what happened this year at the state meet, her voice goes from normal to soft in a matter of seconds.

"I got first in the javelin, first in the discus," she said before almost grumbling, "and I was second in the shot put."

There's that competitive nature kicking in again.

"I'm still a little bitter," Voelker said about finishing second in the shot put. "It definitely left a bitter taste in my mouth."

Still, Voelker wrapped up her track career with five first-place finishes at the state meet, winning the shot put as a freshman and junior, the javelin as a junior and senior and the discus as a senior.

But even though she didn't sweep the throwing events this year, Voelker has never been a person to sit and dwell on not winning. Instead, she uses her disappointments of finishing close to first to help her achieve championships.

"Each year, I had new experiences that helped me," she said. "I had some tough losses before that helped out. Like when I was a freshman, we went to state in soccer and finished second, and that prepared me for the biggest stage of winning a state championship in basketball."