Elyria Sports Hall of Fame: Amanda Medvetz found a way to succeed

High-fives carried extra meaning for Amanda Medvetz and her family. Medvetz, a 2009 graduate of Elyria High and 2013 grad of Cleveland State, had to overcome serious obstacles in order to take center stage at Lorain County Community College on May 2, when she will be enshrined in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. "I was born with basically only my thumb and my pinkie being normal," she said of her left hand. "My doctor ended up taking out two toe bones to sort of build me two fingers, which are my pointer and my ring finger. I don't have a middle finger. "Volleyball was something that never really held me back. Passing and blocking and hitting were perfectly fine. I never had issues setting." Medvetz will join fellow Elyria grads Joe Norton and Doug Foor and Elyria Catholic alums Joel Stuart and MacKenzie Tweardy as individuals being honored. The 2009 state champion Murray Ridge basketball team and the state champion 1995 Elyria West 4x100 relay team will also be inducted. Dr. Dennis Carson will receive the Distinguished Service Award. Medvetz grew tougher from the ribbing she took from her siblings growing up on Carol Lane in Elyria. "I have two older brothers and an older sister that probably said the meanest things you could to me," she said, laughing. "I have some pretty thick skin. You can't hurt my feelings. "Most people don't really notice it until you've been around me a few times. I went through multiple surgeries really young. I don't remember any of them. I was interviewed one time at Cleveland State and we joked because my older brothers would say instead of give me five, it was give me four." That thick skin and a huge amount of determination, perseverance and talent helped mold Medvetz into an outstanding volleyball player. "You would never know," said longtime Elyria volleyball coach Carol Russo. "What a testament to her as a player that nobody knew it. The girl is amazing. It was never an excuse for anything. It wasn't a big deal (for her). Anybody we played would never pick her out, ever. She was a strong competitor and a great player, an amazing person." Medvetz, a four-year letterwinner, was one of a handful of athletes who earned significant playing time as a freshman under Russo. "Kids played for us according to merit," said Russo, a 1999 ESHOF inductee. "We weren't afraid to play a freshman if they deserved it. Amanda earned her playing time. She was a force. She never shied away from any challenge." Elyria went through a coaching change as Medvetz entered her junior year. Russo retired and handed the reins to Jodie Johnson, a star player who is the principal at Elyria. "I remember Meddie — we call her Meddie — when she would come to Carol's camp and I was a worker," said Johnson, a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee. "Even at that young age, you could see she had a skill set and a knowledge for the game. When I came back and took the job, I couldn't be more excited to have a player like her. She played taller than she appeared. "She was everything a coach would want. A coachable player, willing to run through the wall and a belief in what you say. She's smart. The game came to her so easily." Medvetz called the transition to Johnson smooth. "Jodie had played for Carol. She understood the tradition, the expectations," she said. "Different coaching styles. You come in as a freshman and you're kind of just learning what this powerhouse of Elyria is. It was really cool to be under Coach Russo. She just taught a different level of discipline, a different level of competitiveness and really brought me out of my shell. I was quiet, I was nervous. "Transitioning to Coach Johnson, she brought me into more of a leadership position. I was captain of the team my junior and senior years." Elyria won at least 20 games in all four of Medvetz's years. It was ranked No. 2 in the state her freshman season. Medvetz won the Lorain County Miss Volleyball award in 2008. She was first-team all-county and Player of the Year in the county and conference. She made second-team All-Ohio and put up tremendous stats — 265 kills in a season, 804 for her career, 39 aces in a year and 119 for a career and 265 digs for a season and 869 for the career. "I remember when it was playoff time, even the teachers are giving you high-fives in the hallway and saying, 'good luck,'" she said. "We all had our matching shirts on that we'd wear to school. I remember those memories more than a specific play or a specific time. It's the friendships that you make." When she accepted a scholarship offer from Cleveland State, she knew she'd have to change her game from the front row to the back row. After all, she was just 5-foot-6 going against 6-footers. "I made the decision I would have to play the back row. In club volleyball, I played libero, so it wasn't a big change for me," she said. Medvetz found her niche at Cleveland State, making the necessary adjustments. "You come in as a freshman and the speed of the game, it's changed, it's really fast," she said. "It was definitely an adjustment. Everyone is good and everyone's really competitive. It challenged me, mentally and physically. "Once I got adjusted, the players were like a second family to us. Cleveland State was such a great experience. I'd do it all over again if I could." She left her mark on the program, totaling nearly 1,000 digs and earning All-Horizon League honors as a senior. CSU compiled 20 wins in each of her four seasons playing for Chuck Voss, who is still the coach. "Our senior year is the one that stood out to me," said Medvetz. "We had six seniors and they all started, which was really cool. We had a lot of leadership on the court. We ended up winning the league and the Horizon League Tournament, which gave us a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. That was our goal to make it to the Tournament." Cleveland State drew powerful Kansas in the first round in 2012. "We played Kansas at the Kansas arena," said Medvetz. "They were the host. My parents flew out, my brothers flew out. We had a really great group of parents. You had all Kansas fans and then a couple rows of Cleveland State fans." The Vikings (23-7) surprised the Jayhawks by winning the first set 25-17, but Kansas (26-6 and ranked 20th) won the next three to advance. Medvetz was credited with 11 digs, falling just nine short of 1,000 for her career. She also had a service ace. "We stunned them the first set," Medvetz said. "It was fun. We just beat Kansas. This is great, but then they finally woke up and took the next three." Medvetz and husband Aric, whom she met at Cleveland State, have two children — 16-month-old Harrison and 7-month-old Calvin. Her parents, Patti and Rick, raised four children who were good athletes at Elyria. Her sister, Jacki, played basketball and softball and her brothers, Doug and Steve, played basketball. Her mom attended all her high school and college games, home and away. The family will be at the induction. "My parents went to every single match. Not always my dad but definitely my mom," Medvetz said. "They both grew a love for the game of volleyball. In our conference we had matches in Green Bay, Wisconsin and the University of Milwaukee, so they weren't close. It was really cool to see my parents in the stands." Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com.