Sutherland digs in as UC Irvine libero

A volleyball defender’s greatest asset can be balance: the ability to position oneself in an active state of neutrality, ready to pounce in either direction according to the whims of a well-place spike or, just as often, an unanticipated deflection off a blocker or a fellow passer.

For UC Irvine senior libero Devon Sutherland, however, the balancing act often extends to the consistent challenge of finding even footing between the chip on one shoulder and the perceived weight of the world on the other.

A 5-foot-6 senior at Santiago High in Corona, Sutherland was forced to cash in a decade of success as a club and high school setter, for a future at an upper-echelon Division I college program.

Division I coaches typically favor setters who can rise well above the net as blockers, and Sutherland, raised in a household she described as “volleyballed out,” knew full well that her role with the Anteaters would be more closely linked to the floor.

But having always been a classic undersized overachiever, she possessed the athleticism and competitive edge to dive head-long, in whatever direction was necessary, into any challenge that volleyball brought her way.

“I’ve always been small,” said Sutherland, UCI’s career digs leader (1,708), whose 4.19 digs per game this year now rank third among Big West Conference players after leading the conference for most of the season. “But I kind of like that, too. It kind of brings out a much more competitive side and it feels like you kind of have a chip on your shoulder. It’s like I’ve always had something to prove to everybody.”

Never was that more so than when she entered UCI, playing her freshman season as a defensive specialist, then becoming a libero before her sophomore campaign.

“It was definitely hard for me,” said Sutherland, who has helped put the Anteaters (15-12, 10-4 in the Big West) in position to clinch second place, and a possible NCAA Tournament at-large berth, with a pair of home wins tonight and Saturday against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, respectively.