Photo by: Tommy Martino
Anderson finally gets her shot, learns from time at Canadian National Training Centre
5/24/2022 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Carly Anderson is always thinking a step or two ahead. It's the mentality needed of a setter, who – one or two touches in advance – has to know where her attackers are set up while also predicting what an opposing defense is going to do, all while making split-second decisions.
It requires a specific focus and concentration, not to mention keen awareness and forward thinking. This approach has caused Anderson to constantly think about the future.
With her feet still firmly planted in Missoula – the junior setter has at least two years of eligibility remaining for the Griz – she has big aspirations for herself that she's not shy to talk about.
She wants to be one of the best players in the Big Sky Conference. But she also wants to take her game to another level, someday playing professionally overseas and representing her native country of Canada.
Anderson got her first taste of that earlier this month at the Richmond Olympic Oval, Volleyball Canada's national training center. She was one of approximately three dozen Canadian volleyball players selected to the Volleyball Canada NextGen training program.
"Honestly, I was really surprised, but super excited," Anderson said about being selected to the NextGen tryout. "It was all pretty surreal."
Listed on its website, 'Volleyball Canada's NextGen Program is an important part of our Women's Senior National Team and is viewed as the entry point for anyone aspiring to play for Canada. The aim of this program is to create a sustainable podium pathway for indoor women's volleyball by developing world-class athletes who contribute to the performance of the Women's National Team and help propel Canada beyond the current successes, to Olympic qualifications and podium performances.'
Essentially, the NextGen program is a feeder to the top women's national team.
Anderson was one of seven setters invited to the three-day training, which featured multiple sessions each day, the mornings being more drill-based and the afternoons focusing heavily on six-on-six scrimmaging.
"I was super star-struck at first," Anderson admitted. "This is the next thing to the Senior A (national) Team, so there were some girls there who had been playing on the youth national team or junior national team for years.
"But walking into the gym with them was crazy and gave me a lot of confidence."
Anderson doesn't want to come across as petty, but it's fair to perhaps say that she's been overlooked throughout her life.
Griz fans who have watched her play can understand. At first glance, she isn't the most imposing player on the court. But then you watch what she can do and your appreciation grows every time she touches the ball.
Growing up in Mississauga, outside of Toronto, Anderson never got much attention. While teammates and friends would get invitations to try out for youth national teams and other developmental programs in the Team Canada system, Anderson never got her call.
She's not saying she deserved to be selected. But she would have at least liked the chance to prove herself.
Again, Griz fans can likely understand how Anderson can, at times, be overlooked.
Three setters in 2021 earned All-Big Sky Conference recognition. None of them were Anderson, whose 9.90 assists-per-set average ranked higher than all three honorees.
Additionally, showing her all-around versatility, the sophomore led all Big Sky setters for kills (0.58 per set) and ranked second for blocking (0.38). She set up a Griz offense that hit .202, a six-team improvement in the league rankings from the previous season.
Anderson did a little bit of everything for Montana. She recorded 50 or more assists five times, the most by any setter in the Big Sky. She had 57 assists in a win over Idaho, also the most in the league in 2021.
The hope is that some of what Anderson learned from her time at Canada Volleyball's National Training Centre will help elevate her game when she returns to Missoula.
"Watching some of the other setters, I was definitely on the younger end of the spectrum in terms of age, so seeing how they compete and communicate was really helpful," Anderson said. "I think off-ball movement is what I learned the most about, just seeing how some of those setters work and move around when they're not playing the ball – what they're looking at, how they're reacting, how quickly they're moving.
"From an attitude perspective, I think it helped me learn how to lead better, how to rally your team and how to give hitters confidence and keep them calm."
Montana has a long list of Canadians who have donned the Maroon and Silver. In addition to Anderson, Olivia Boulding – who has competed for Team British Columbia and with the National Excellence Program – will join the Griz roster this fall. Associate head coach Dana Hallisey played for the women's national team for several years alongside Jamie Thibeault, one of the greatest Griz volleyball players of all time. Another former assistant coach, Gina Schmidt, was the NextGen head coach in 2021.
"It's pretty cool to see how connected Montana is to Canadian volleyball," Anderson said.
Following the weekend of intense training, the NextGen roster was whittled down to a standard roster size, including just two setters. The fact that Anderson was not part of that group did not diminish what her time at the training center means for her moving forward, though.
"It's not a 'no', it's a 'not yet'" Anderson summed up. "A lot of the girls I was competing against are out of college, and I was one of the only girls who hadn't played at one of these types of things before. I was pretty nervous, but it was a great experience playing with and against some really stellar players."
It's also not lost on her that a current setter on the Canadian women's national team tried out for the NextGen program five times before finally getting her chance.
The NextGen roster will continue training in Richmond throughout the summer, with shared facilities and access to the women's national team, before competing in international competitions this fall in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
The hope is that next year, or in the near future, Anderson will be part of that group.
"I'm excited for the future," she said. "My whole life, I've been waiting for an opportunity to come, and now I think I'm in the pipeline and on peoples' radars. Hopefully this is just the first step of what's to come."
It requires a specific focus and concentration, not to mention keen awareness and forward thinking. This approach has caused Anderson to constantly think about the future.
With her feet still firmly planted in Missoula – the junior setter has at least two years of eligibility remaining for the Griz – she has big aspirations for herself that she's not shy to talk about.
She wants to be one of the best players in the Big Sky Conference. But she also wants to take her game to another level, someday playing professionally overseas and representing her native country of Canada.
Anderson got her first taste of that earlier this month at the Richmond Olympic Oval, Volleyball Canada's national training center. She was one of approximately three dozen Canadian volleyball players selected to the Volleyball Canada NextGen training program.
"Honestly, I was really surprised, but super excited," Anderson said about being selected to the NextGen tryout. "It was all pretty surreal."
Listed on its website, 'Volleyball Canada's NextGen Program is an important part of our Women's Senior National Team and is viewed as the entry point for anyone aspiring to play for Canada. The aim of this program is to create a sustainable podium pathway for indoor women's volleyball by developing world-class athletes who contribute to the performance of the Women's National Team and help propel Canada beyond the current successes, to Olympic qualifications and podium performances.'
Essentially, the NextGen program is a feeder to the top women's national team.
Anderson was one of seven setters invited to the three-day training, which featured multiple sessions each day, the mornings being more drill-based and the afternoons focusing heavily on six-on-six scrimmaging.
"I was super star-struck at first," Anderson admitted. "This is the next thing to the Senior A (national) Team, so there were some girls there who had been playing on the youth national team or junior national team for years.
"But walking into the gym with them was crazy and gave me a lot of confidence."
Anderson doesn't want to come across as petty, but it's fair to perhaps say that she's been overlooked throughout her life.
Griz fans who have watched her play can understand. At first glance, she isn't the most imposing player on the court. But then you watch what she can do and your appreciation grows every time she touches the ball.
Growing up in Mississauga, outside of Toronto, Anderson never got much attention. While teammates and friends would get invitations to try out for youth national teams and other developmental programs in the Team Canada system, Anderson never got her call.
She's not saying she deserved to be selected. But she would have at least liked the chance to prove herself.
Again, Griz fans can likely understand how Anderson can, at times, be overlooked.
Three setters in 2021 earned All-Big Sky Conference recognition. None of them were Anderson, whose 9.90 assists-per-set average ranked higher than all three honorees.
Additionally, showing her all-around versatility, the sophomore led all Big Sky setters for kills (0.58 per set) and ranked second for blocking (0.38). She set up a Griz offense that hit .202, a six-team improvement in the league rankings from the previous season.
Anderson did a little bit of everything for Montana. She recorded 50 or more assists five times, the most by any setter in the Big Sky. She had 57 assists in a win over Idaho, also the most in the league in 2021.
The hope is that some of what Anderson learned from her time at Canada Volleyball's National Training Centre will help elevate her game when she returns to Missoula.
"Watching some of the other setters, I was definitely on the younger end of the spectrum in terms of age, so seeing how they compete and communicate was really helpful," Anderson said. "I think off-ball movement is what I learned the most about, just seeing how some of those setters work and move around when they're not playing the ball – what they're looking at, how they're reacting, how quickly they're moving.
"From an attitude perspective, I think it helped me learn how to lead better, how to rally your team and how to give hitters confidence and keep them calm."
Montana has a long list of Canadians who have donned the Maroon and Silver. In addition to Anderson, Olivia Boulding – who has competed for Team British Columbia and with the National Excellence Program – will join the Griz roster this fall. Associate head coach Dana Hallisey played for the women's national team for several years alongside Jamie Thibeault, one of the greatest Griz volleyball players of all time. Another former assistant coach, Gina Schmidt, was the NextGen head coach in 2021.
"It's pretty cool to see how connected Montana is to Canadian volleyball," Anderson said.
Following the weekend of intense training, the NextGen roster was whittled down to a standard roster size, including just two setters. The fact that Anderson was not part of that group did not diminish what her time at the training center means for her moving forward, though.
"It's not a 'no', it's a 'not yet'" Anderson summed up. "A lot of the girls I was competing against are out of college, and I was one of the only girls who hadn't played at one of these types of things before. I was pretty nervous, but it was a great experience playing with and against some really stellar players."
It's also not lost on her that a current setter on the Canadian women's national team tried out for the NextGen program five times before finally getting her chance.
The NextGen roster will continue training in Richmond throughout the summer, with shared facilities and access to the women's national team, before competing in international competitions this fall in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
The hope is that next year, or in the near future, Anderson will be part of that group.
"I'm excited for the future," she said. "My whole life, I've been waiting for an opportunity to come, and now I think I'm in the pipeline and on peoples' radars. Hopefully this is just the first step of what's to come."
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