Courtesy of The Capital Sports Report. Written by Anthony Caruso III.
Havlickova had a longer transition than most athletes
Jarka Havlickova had a longer transition than most athletes. Havlickova played just one-year of high school volleyball, as an exchange student in Michigan, before she went into college. And after she got to South Florida, she had to adjust to the college game and the speed of the game, which took longer than most athletes. She started to feel comfortable during her sophomore year, when she put up career-highs in nearly every category.
Havlickova started her volleyball career at Escanaba Area High School, in Michigan. She played one-year as an exchange student at the school. She was named Most Valuable Player of the Conference and received All-State honors, as well. She also played for the Articatz club volleyball team in Michigan.
"It was interesting, because it was my first-year in the United States," said Havlickova. "And, so, I didn't know about the system in the United States, or about high school sports. Everything was very new to me. It was a good experience playing for my high school team. After the volleyball season was over, I played for a local volleyball club team."
She also competed in track & field at Escanaba Area High School.
"Well, it was challenging for me, because I had never done anything like that before," said Havlickova. "First, I was doing the long distance run, then I was doing the shot put. I also did the high jump. When the first competition came, it was stressful, because I was playing club volleyball at the same time as I was competing in track. It was very tiring doing both, so I decided to stick with volleyball."
She said she was recruited by a few schools. However, she would elect to attend the University of South Florida.
"When I came down here for my official visit, I got to meet the coaches and I fell in love with this place," said Havlickova. "I knew it was the right fit for me. I was very impressed with the girls on the team, the coaches, and the school. I decided it was the place for me."
During her freshman year, she appeared in 6 matches. She was named a Big East Academic All-Star by maintaining a 3.0 GPA for the year. She was also a candidate for the NCAA Sportsmanship Award. She played her first career college match against Texas Tech.
"I was very honored to be named that," said Havlickova of her Big East Academic All-Star selection. "I mean, it was good to get selected and I was truly honored. But it wasn't something that I was trying to accomplish. It was encouragement on my journey."
During her sophomore year, she appeared in 18 matches, including 3 starts. She had five or more kills in 12 matches. She was also honored as the Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Week, and was one of six Bulls to record at least a 100 kills on the season. She was fourth on the team with 1.72 kills per game. She was fifth on the team in total blocks, and set career-highs in practically every statistical category.
"Jarka was kind of a dark hose," said South Florida's volleyball head coach Claire Lessinger. "We saw a lot of potential in Jarka when we recruited her, but the speed of the game was really fast for her. So, it took a while for Jarka to get accumulated - not to the school or to the team - but more to the sport. So, that was a process in itself. When Jarka had an opportunity to get out there on the floor, there's no one on our team that has more passion than what she's doing on the court. She was able to set all those career-highs, because of the opportunities she had in playing time."
During her junior season, she appeared in 27 matches and 78 sets. She was third on the team with 0.78 blocks per set and averaged 1.05 kills and 0.26 digs per set.
"Jarka was playing the right side for us," said coach Lessinger. "Besides the middle blockers, she's going to get the most opportunities to block shots. Jarka's 6-2 and really got comfortable with the our blocking scheme as the season went along, in terms of how to set up a block. Jarka was a huge force for us. You could see that in her numbers."
This year, in her senior season, she has appeared in 24 matches. She has 43 kills on the season with 2 service aces. She also has 25 digs on the season.
"I hope that our senior group is going to influence the team to victory," said Havlickova. "Of course, we hope to get the best results we can. For me personally, I hope to finish the season by accomplishing our team goals."
She said she is currently in her first semester of her Master's Degree. She said she definitely wants to finish her Master's Degree, then she will see if she wants to further her education some more or try to find a job. She said she is likely to move back to Europe, but she's keeping her options open here in the States.
"They all have different majors and will take different courses once they leave here," said coach Lessinger. "But I think their experience here at USF, as an athlete and as a student, has prepared them for life after college."
