If the single-minded pursuit of success is a crime, then Melissa Mohr is guilty of joining the Bowling Green volleyball team with the full intent of becoming the best.
“She’s a perfectionist, she wants to do everything right,” head coach Denise Van De Walle. “She hates to make mistakes, but this is a game full of mistakes and she hates to lose.”
Blame that on Mohr’s humble beginnings as a freshman in 2001 when she played for BGSU’s Mid-American Conference East Division Championship Team.
But the 5-foot-11 middle blocker only played in 14 matches and accounted for five kills during their 21-8 season.
Van De Walle said the biggest thing Mohr had to overcome after her first year was lack of self- confidence.
“She came into this program the star of her high school team,” Van De Walle said. “She came in and had to sit the bench and that’s tough on any freshman …. going from the best player to maybe not playing in the first six ever.”
Despite Mohr’s progression the following year, she appeared in 29 matches producing eight kills and a .038 hitting percentage as the Falcons struggled a through a 9-21 campaign.
Mohr said the first two seasons were learning experiences and set the stage for her.
And she chose to perform well when handed the opportunity last season.
She might have been 17-years-old again performing for West Holmes High School, except Mohr wasn’t making breathtaking blocks at the net and pounding down kills against an overmatched team from the Mohican Area Conference.
It only looked that way for Mohr, who started all but one match, hitting .212 with 240 kills and 97 total blocks.
“It was disappointing losing last year, but I came in very determined because I wanted to help the team in anyway I could,” Mohr said. “It was the first time I was on the floor all the time, and it was exciting being able to play every night.”
As BGSU’s only four-year senior and the influx of six new faces, Mohr said she came into this season determined to “bring BG volleyball back to the top.”
“Most people coming into a program aren’t used to losing and I wasn’t used to losing in high school, in club or even in our first year here,” she said. “It definitely motivated me to do whatever I could to have a winning program.”
The Falcons finished with their first winning record in two years, going 17-13 and 8-8 in the MAC, and Mohr has been content to let the spotlight shine on different BG players from game-to-game.
Still, the senior tri-captain has started every match for the Falcons and established career-highs with 296 kills and 124 blocks during the regular season.
Van De Walle said Mohr has stepped up as a “leader by example.”
“She’s really tried to show the team hard work; dedication by example,” she said. “She’s been fairly consistent all year … but when you think about her work ethic, her work ethic has been consistent all year.”
Mohr said it was a blessing to play at the collegiate level.
“We’ve had a lot of fun and we’ve had some tough times,” she said. “Just being a student-athlete is a hard thing because of the time commitment … but I think through thick and thin it’s made me a lot stronger person.”
Mohr’s talent and inner-strength will be on display in Anderson Arena when the Falcons host No. 3 seed Marshall in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.
