Prep profile: Niemeier set herself up for success

The evolution of a volleyball player is something that takes time.

A rare few make an immediate impact as freshmen, but most develop over time – some not even competing at the varsity level until their senior year.

Then players like junior Lindsay Niemeier come along – seemingly out of nowhere – and take center stage.

The Shadle Park setter spent most of last season on junior varsity while junior Tristen Kelly helped the Highlanders to a third-place finish in the Greater Spokane League. The Highlanders placed fourth at regionals, earning a trip to state.

Shadle coach Brooke Cooper brought Niemeier up for the Crossover Classic and kept her on varsity. Kelly was injured at the State 4A tournament, and Niemeier helped lead the Highlanders to an eighth-place finish.

Then came the real work.

Niemeier decided to go for it, and put in the time over the summer to earn the starting position this season alongside senior Katie Rawley.

“Since last season ended, Lindsay has worked really hard,” Cooper said. “She got on one of the top club teams in the area (Sideout), with (former Shadle standout) Brynn DeLong, (and current Shadle seniors) Brianne Brown and Amy Before, and to get (Niemeier, Brown and Before) returning together, they just really connect well.”

The Highlanders are third in the GSL standings with a 5-1 record, despite having somewhat of a chaotic system in place.

With the current construction at Shadle, the team sometimes doesn’t know where it is practicing until right before practice begins.

Shadle is playing all of its home matches at Spokane Falls Community College.

Niemeier gives credit to the hitters around her.

“I feel like I don’t have one hitter that everyone knows I’m going to set to,” Niemeier said. “I love my libero (Kaylee Rector). We’ve been playing together since sixth grade, so I get good passes, which helps, and then I think, ‘OK, who do I go to?’

“It’s really fun to know I have so many people out there to choose from.”

Niemeier, who also plays varsity basketball and competes in track, had to get rid of one little habit before the team was hers to lead.

“I always got made fun of because I was apologizing for everything,” Niemeier said. “I got out of that habit … it’s not always my mistake and I don’t always have to take the blame for everything.”

As far as team goals, Niemeier likes this squad’s chances of another deep playoff run.

“We seem to jell – we just get along really well this year,” she said. “We all became a team together and stepped up our game. We knew it is our year to shine, our year to go somewhere, and we’ve done a lot better this year.”