Quon-Tom leap: Tom

The Other Side Stanford Sports info
Logan Tom Volleyball

By AJ Cadman
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

For Stanford outside hitter Logan Tom, being an average
volleyball player has never quite been enough.

Electing to study in Palo Alto last year, Tom was widely
regarded as one of the most heralded female volleyball recruits
ever at the age of 17. But for the Salt Lake City native, her
athletic career has never been ordinary.

Named to the junior national team at 16, Tom led the squad in
kills and blocks. Two Utah state high school volleyball
championships, two Gatorade State Volleyball Player of the Year
Awards, and one National High School Player of the Year Award
later, Tom has traveled far in such a short time.

Then came her arrival on the Farm. In her first year she became
the fourth freshman All-American ever and took the Cardinal to the
championship match against Penn State.

And after that came the news that elevated her to the pinnacle
of volleyball: she had made the U.S. Olympic team.

“For me, I loved absolutely everything about it,”
said Tom, who returned to the Cardinal last week following her trip
to Sydney. “The volleyball, the atmosphere, the entirety of
the whole Olympic idea was great.

  Stanford Sports Information Sophomore Logan
Tom, re-joins Cardinal teammates after the Olympics.
“The entire two weeks we were there were awesome. Opening
ceremonies were great, but from every match we played, we were on a
high for the whole two weeks.”

Named to the women’s National Volleyball Team six months
ago, Tom’s selection as the team’s only collegian was
one filled with anticipation.

“I compare Logan to a female Karch Kiraly (former UCLA
volleyball standout), who’s probably the best U.S. player
ever,” said Bob Gambardella, director of the U.S. National
Team. “Logan has all the tools to reach that level, and
she’s only going to get better. We already think she’s
one of the best outside hitters in the United States and that
includes our national team.”

Tom’s notability hit epic proportions when she was
featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Women a year ago.
Leading the national team in hitting against the world’s best
volleyball players has only boosted her popularity. Yet she still
finds a way to take her surpassing talent and media attention in
stride.

“I don’t wish they would go away,” Tom said of
the publicity. “I know they are going to be there because of
what we did at the Olympics. I try to make people happy and at the
same time make myself happy. I try to find a good balance between
the two.”

Last year’s Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Logan
didn’t think twice about taking time off from her trip down
under, choosing to continue her academic and athletic
endeavors.

It’s quite surprising that the 1999 AVCA National Freshman
of the Year has time for anything else.

“It has been really cool to get back on campus,” Tom
said. “I basically just hang out with my friends. I
don’t have time for much more. School and volleyball are it
for me, but hopefully there will be more time when things settle
down.”

For Stanford head coach Denise Corlett, Tom’s return has
had an immediate impact.

“She gives us a confidence boost because early on we
lacked a go-to hitter,” Corlett said. “With her, we
have a little more security. We have been trying to help her get
back with classes and housing. It has been a tough
transition.”

Tom holds the Utah high school state record for career kills
(935), digs (351) and services aces (130), and her love for sports
extends to the basketball court and the track. But in the end, she
has always known that her place was six-on-six.

And with that comes an attitude of living for the moment and
enjoying the hype.

“I am taking things little by little,” Tom said.
“I am going day-by-day in the immediate future. I am still in
the undecided mode as far as what I want to do after
college.”

Now Tom is excited about getting back into the thick of a
conference race that has Stanford in the middle of the standings
during her absence.

“We will take it one game at a time,” Tom said.
“There’s a lot of good teams in the conference this
year, so we will just work with it as it comes.”

The Cardinal’s first real test with Tom comes Thursday
night when Stanford enters Pauley Pavilion to battle UCLA and the
Bruins’ hitting phenom, Junior Kristee Porter. But for Tom,
competition is never personal, as she has made many friends on the
court in her travels.

“Kristee is an awesome player,” Tom said of her
counterpart, whom she finished behind in the kills per game list
last year. “She definitely can get on rolls. Hopefully, we
can stop her a little bit. But she is going to get her kills. I
look forward to seeing her and saying hi.”

“I think athletically Kristee is in that class and
caliber,” Corlett said of the level Porter and Tom have
reached. “(Porter) is one of the top ones in the country. She
wants the ball when the game is on the line.”

For Porter, the sentiment is one of mutual respect and
admiration.

“She’s a more powerful hitter than most
players,” Porter said. “Her presence on the court will
always make them better and more competitive.”

Since coming back from the Olympics, Tom has picked up a new
regimen prior to the start of match.

“I never thought I was (superstitious) until I was at the
Olympics,” Tom said, “so I guess I am. I had to listen
to the same CDs, ones with a beat, before every match and go
through the same routine. Little things when you start winning that
you don’t want to change. But nothing permanent that I have
had forever.”

Her return to the Cardinal is welcomed both by teammates as well
as the coaching staff.

“It’s great to have Logan back," Corlett said.
“She is a physically gifted athlete who adds another
dimension to our team.”

Stanford now has the entire 1999 national runner-up team back,
and the team’s newfound focus can lead to a second-half surge
which will carry the Cardinal into the NCAA Tournament with full
steam.

One thing is for sure: Logan Tom will be a force on the court
and will have other teams in the conference changing their
gameplans from the first time they faced Stanford earlier this
season. Knowing that opposing defenses will be aiming to stop her,
Tom has only one answer: “I will do what needs to be
done.”