Roster | Schedule/Results | News | Archives

March 28, 2008

By Adam Walker, Media Relations Assistant

When the libero postion was created in volleyball in 2002, USC Upstate volleyball head coach Jennifer Calloway could not help but think about one of her former players who would have been perfect for the position.

For those who are not familiar with it, the libero position in volleyball is a player who is a defensive specialist that plays the back row, wears a different color jersey than the rest of the team so they can be distinguished as such and can play every rotation except for one.

The one player that Calloway said would have been perfect for the position was Carmen Tebbe, a defensive specialist who played for then-USC Spartanburg from 1997-99.

"Carmen would have been the ultimate libero because she had such an impact on our team and she was such a motivator," Calloway said. "She was a person that you wanted on the court at all times. If the libero position was there when she was playing, we probably would have pulled out a few more of the closer games during that time."

Before 2002 in volleyball, a defensive specialist could only play three rotations before either having to sub out for a front row player, such as a setter or hitter, or switch to the front row for three more rotations. Tebbe knew what her role was as a defensive specialist and tackled it with full force.

"My mindset was that this is my role and I have to make the most of it," Tebbe, a native of St. Rose, Illinois, said "When you're a defensive specialist, nothing hits the floor and you have to go all out."

Tebbe transferred to USC Spartanburg from Quincy University in Illinois in 1997 and knew about the school from Fred Rakers, her high school coach at Mater Dei Catholic who is also Calloway's father.

Two other big reasons why Tebbe came to Spartanburg was she was reunited with two of her high school teammates, Allison Maue and future USC Upstate Hall of Famer Sara Henrichs, and it was opportunity for playing time.

"I was just excited to get the opportunity to play since I knew I wasn't going to have that chance where I was before," Tebbe said. "I wanted to make the most of the chance that I was given."

"I knew that (Carmen) was a hard worker and had a great work-ethic, but when she came here, she didn't take anything for granted," Calloway said. "When we had practice and it was time to work, she was always outworking everyone else in practice. Her attitude carried over to the rest of the team."

From 1997-99, Tebbe helped lead the then-Rifles to two 19-win seasons and one 20-win season and was among the team leaders in digs per game each season. She was second on the team in digs per game in 1999 with 2.88.

Tebbe, with volleyball coach Jennifer Calloway, was named Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2000

As much as Tebbe was relentless on the volleyball court, she was equally impressive in the classroom with one of the top Grade Point Averages (GPA) among athletes each year. She was awarded the Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award in 2000 as well as the Female Highest GPA Award.

"Carmen was such a good role model for any student-athlete because she could do it all," Calloway said. "She did very well in the classroom, but because she was so dedicated in every thing she did, it made her special and led to her success."

Tebbe graduated in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and moved onto Wake Forest University where she received a master's in Experimental Psychology in 2002. Recently in December 2007, she received her doctorate from the University of North Texas in Couseling Psychology.

Today, Tebbe works in the athletic department at the University of Oklahoma as a sports psychologist in a division called Psychological Resources for OU Student-Athletes (PROS). Her duties include counseling athletes both individually and as a group, running team-centered workshops and providing assessments for student-athletes with learning disabilities.

"First and foremost, my duties are to be a psychologist and help our athletes with their performance and personal things that can affect their performance," Tebbe said. "I specialize in sports psychology and I see this area becoming a big thing in the future for other universities."

With her experience as a student-athlete as a guide, Tebbe says that she can relate with the student-athletes she deals with everyday.

"My experience prepared me for this. It made me appreciate what student-athletes go through everyday and helps me work with them everyday," Tebbe said.

"When (Carmen) was here, she talked about becoming a sports psychologist, Calloway said. "That was her goal and she went for it."

Tebbe said that she enjoyed playing for Calloway because the style of volleyball play was similar to what she had learned playing for Calloway's father in high school. She also recalled that Calloway always said that "if you work hard, the rest will take care of itself."

When asked to comment of USC Upstate's move to Division I, Tebbe said that she is proud of the direction the university is heading and that success will be challenging.

"I think it's good for the growth of the university," Tebbe said. "It may be a struggle for a while, but the changes they are making will be beneficial for them."

Calloway said that perhaps the highest complement she could give Tebbe would be that when she and the USC Upstate assistant coaches are recruiting players, they use the example she set in not only finding great players, but great student-athletes.

"If I had a couple more Carmen Tebbe's, coaching would be such a joy because of what she displayed. She was a true coach's player and because she has worked so hard all her life, that's why she has her doctorate," Calloway said.

"I want the girls on our team right now to know what kind of program we've had and what traditions we need to build on an Carmen was apart of that. We have a high team GPA almost every year because of what she and her teammates started eight or ten years ago."