Andreyko rises above the rest

Talk to sophomore Diana Andreyko of the Pitt volleyball team off the court, and you will… Talk to sophomore Diana Andreyko of the Pitt volleyball team off the court, and you will likely find that she’s just as modest as the next student-athlete.

Watch her play, however, and witness that modesty being “killed” as Andreyko pushes a hanging volleyball over the net.

“Some players have that. [Andreyko] definitely has it,” said coach Chris Beerman.

“It,” according to Beerman, is a certain aura that a player possesses that can affect and elevate her entire team’s performance. The scary part is, she may not even know she has it yet.

“She has strong charisma and I think as a sophomore, she’s learning she has that and I think it takes a while to develop,” Beerman said. “But she’s definitely on the right track.”

That track could potentially lead Pitt back to a Big East title, something the team last won in 2003 while Andreyko was still a senior at Baldwin High School. Andreyko is the type of player Beerman feels can lead the team back to a championship.

“Megan Miller did that the last few years and I think [Andreyko] has that same characteristic.”

Andreyko started playing volleyball at the age of 5 while growing up in Novyi Rozdil, Ukraine. Since moving to the United States five years ago, she has already established her talent on a national level. She was named all-section, all-Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League and all-state during both her junior and senior years at Baldwin.

Making the transition to the college game has not proved to be difficult, either. As a freshman at Pitt, Andreyko gathered three Big East Rookie of the Week honors, leading up to the eventual Big East Rookie of the Year award.

But Andreyko is not concerned about the accolades and honors.

“To tell you the truth, it wasn’t really expected,” Andreyko said of her rookie of the year honors. “I just wanted to do well with the team.”

The team currently holds a 10-7 record overall and 3-1 mark in the Big East, arguably one of the top volleyball conferences in the nation. Andreyko ranks second in the conference in kills per game (4.90) and points per game (5.67) while she is fifth in service aces per game (.49).

While she clearly has the statistics, the most important aspect of her game is the effect her performance has on her team.

“I’m just being a good teammate,” she said. “Maybe [my performance] gives confidence to some people since we have a really young team. I hope it makes them play better.”

The Panthers are on a three-match win streak, which was sparked by a 3-2 win over Rutgers last Sunday, fueled largely by Andreyko’s Big East record-tying 34 kills.

Despite high expectations that come along with career-high performances like this, Andreyko is showing no signs of regression.

“I think she’ll even get better this year,” Beerman said. “The term ‘sophomore jinx’ kicks in because people expect a lot more. She’s gone through that a little bit and now she’s coming out the other end.”

“I’d say she’s our MVP right now,” he said.

The Panthers are now in the thick of the Big East schedule with 10 games to play, including matches against Notre Dame and Louisville, both of which are nationally ranked in the top 10.

So is Andreyko the type of player who can lead Pitt past such foes and on to the Promised Land? Beerman thinks so. In his 10-year career as a head coach, he compares Andreyko with some of the best he’s had.

“I don’t think from day one I’ve had a player that started every match and has been great like [Andreyko],” he said. In fact, he compares Andreyko to Lindsay Collingwood, a player he coached at James Madison University, who lead the team to a school-best record in 1999.

“[Collingwood] had to carry the load at JMU and by her senior year, we were really an unstoppable program,” Beerman said. “And I think (Andreyko) is treading right along with that.”

As far as her future goes, Andreyko wouldn’t mind playing professionally. “I definitely want to play after [college],” said Andreyko. “If I’ll be able to make it then I’ll definitely try.”

But for now, she’s only focused on herself and her team.

“I want them to look at me as someone they have total confidence in, someone who’s going to come through in the times when it’s really needed.”