It wasn’t long ago that Mekana Barnes was an unknown. Not anymore. The Colorado State University senior middle blocker is quickly becoming one of the most decorated players in volleyball. She was 2007 Mountain West player of the year, is the conference’s 2008 preseason player of the year and is the only active player named to the MWC all-decade team. Wednesday, Barnes explained to Denver Post staff writer Chris Dempsey why her star shines so bright.
Q: CSU is ranked No. 17 in the preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Talk about the pressure to win.
A: I’m just finding out about the rankings and things like that, and I think I speak for my team as well when I say we’re not wanting to look at it as pressure, just as an opportunity to do great things this season.
Q: What goes through your mind when you look at the personal accolades you’re receiving?
A: Really, surprise. At a lot of things. The awards that I’ve gotten are just kind of a blessing, things that I don’t feel like I’ve necessarily earned. I’m glad that I play for a team that can get that kind of recognition.
Q: Surprised?
A: I guess I know I’m a pretty good player, I just never expected those things. I just, every year, want to get better, and be able to contribute to my team. And as I’ve been able to do that more and more the awards and things started coming.
Q: When was the turning point in your game?
A: I think it happens as you get older, or if you’re a young player and you get this early you’re going to be really good. It’s just knowing that you have control of your game as far as doing the things you need to do at your position to earn points or not to make errors. That probably happened for me in 2006.
Q: You weren’t heavily recruited out of high school (ThunderRidge). Could you have envisioned yourself being this good at this point?
A: Definitely not. I knew in high school for a while I wasn’t even thinking about volleyball. I wanted to play basketball. I always knew I was a good athlete. I never expected to be that great of a volleyball player.
Q: Speaking of basketball, you were able to play with the CSU women’s team last season. How did that come about?
A: My teammate Ashley (Fornstrom) and I, we practiced with them for a couple of days and suited up for a game when they were short players. They had six players at that time. I think I got in the game for the last 15 or 20 seconds, something like that. It was fun to walk-on with them and see what they do in practice. I gained a little more respect for the women’s basketball team.
Q: Have you been watching Olympic volleyball?
A: (laughs) I’ve been falling asleep early lately because we have two-a-days. But I’ve seen a little bit of the men’s and women’s, mostly outdoor.
Q: And?
A: It’s been pretty good. It’s always amazing to watch (Misty) May-Treanor and (Kerri) Walsh. It’s doubles and it’s sand so it’s impressive as it is. And they are just such a good team. They work well together.
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
Block-buster films
College athletes watch a lot of movies to pass the time, and Mekana Barnes goes over her five favorites:
Bad Boys
Wedding Crashers
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Step Brothers
Love and Basketball
