NWC Honors Linfield Freshman Jamie Talbo
The Wildcats are 2-0 in the NWC and sit at 3-4 overall.
(McMINNVILLE, Ore. ) — It's not often a first-year player comes in to make the kind of impact Jaime Talbo is making at Linfield College.
The freshman setter/right-side hitter was named Northwest Conference Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week after leading the Wildcats to a pair of conference road victories.
Talbo achieved the volleyball equivalent of a triple-double on consecutive nights, notching double-digits in kills, assists and digs.
In a four-set victory over Willamette, Talbo produced 19 kills, 22 assists and 14 digs. She followed that virtuoso performance with 10 kills, 25 assists and a dozen digs during a come-from-behind four-set win at George Fox.
“Her versatility gives us more options offensively, attacking from the front row and setting from the back row,” said Wildcats coach Shane Kimura.
For the week, Talbo averaged 3.62 kills, 5.88 assists and 3.25 digs per set. In seven matches this fall, the freshman from Honolulu's Maryknoll High School is averaging 2.58 kills, 5.23 assists and 2.73 assists.
“Jamie was pretty consistent and reliable out there and doesn't have stretches where she doesn't play well,” said Kimura. “She's in a position where she's touching a lot of balls, so she needs to be consistent.”
Recruited as a setter, the 5-foot-8 Talbo stands taller than most NCAA Division III setters and it didn't take long for the coaching staff to discover their new prospect could score points as well as distribute the ball.
“When we went to Texas (for the Trinity Fall Classic), we needed to find some more offense and she provided that,” said Kimura. “Even though we lost those four matches, we came out ahead knowing better what our lineup was going to be.”
Linfield plays at Lewis & Clark Friday night before making its home debut Saturday evening against defending NWC champion Pacific Lutheran.
The Wildcats are 2-0 in the NWC and sit at 3-4 overall.
Source: Linfield Athletics
