Amy Byfield is listed as a generous 5-foot-4, the shortest player on the Emporia State volleyball team. With her freckled face and tiny button nose, she looks like the sweet girl next door.
Don’t be fooled.
Byfield is a ferocious competitor. She grew up with two younger brothers and developed an intense competitiveness, which she brought with her to Emporia State four years ago.
It’s what’s made her the all-time career digs leader at Emporia State, a record she broke last Friday against Pittsburg State. It’s part of the reason the Hornets have lost only 17 games the last three years with Byfield as the starting libero, the most successful three-year span in the program’s history. And it’s the reason a couple of years ago, teammate Jenna Snook saw a picture of Byfield and the equally intense Arica Shepard both screaming, which prompted Snook to ask, “So do you think you guys are really intensely yelling towards the team, or cheering and real excited?”
“She’s a really, really intense player,” coach Bing Xu said. “Sometimes on the court her teammates take it the wrong way. ‘Why are you yelling?’ I just tell my team, we all come from different backgrounds. Some players are intense. Some players are pretty quiet, and it doesn’t mean I don’t like you. Don’t take it personal. It’s all about winning for Amy.”
Byfield has had to learn to tone it down at times, but her competitiveness has rubbed off on her teammates. She says that Shepard has become more intense through the years, and even quiet setter Ting Liu has started yelling every once in a while.
“Everyone is like, ‘If Amy can do it, we can do it,’” Byfield said.
Byfield’s voice has been even more valuable to the Hornets lately, because the team has struggled at times communicating.
The Hornets’ execution has rarely been a problem, and it all starts with Byfield. Arica Shepard and Brittney Miller catch everyone’s attention with their highlight-reel kills, and Liu has gotten a lot of credit for setting up the star hitters, receiving the MIAA’s player of the year last season.
But without Byfield, ESU’s quick-strike offense would never have a chance to get going. She not only gets to an extremely high number of balls — she has had double-digit digs in all but one match this season — she’s also extremely precise with her passes, which makes it easy for Liu to set the hitters.
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