Former Cougar Giovana Melo helped with WNCC volleyball camp

When Giovana Melo played for the Cougars from 2001-03, she never realized how much she would miss Scottsbluff and Western Nebraska Community College four years later.

But, after coming back earlier this month to help her WNCC volleyball coach Chris Green with a middle school volleyball camp, she is appreciative of how WNCC gave her her start in volleyball.

“It is awesome to come back here. I love the environment here,” Melo said while back in Scottsbluff for a couple days. “I love the people and I get along with coach Green really well. I miss here so much and wish I could be here more, but I am working volleyball other places. I wish I could come every year and do this.”

Melo played for the Cougars in the 2001-2002 seasons, helping the Cougars to back-to-back 57-win seasons. She also earned first team NJCAA all-American honors in 2002 and second team honors in 2001. Melo is currently second in career setting percentage with a 43.47 efficiency and ranks fourth in career points scored serving with 796.

After two stellar seasons at WNCC, Melo took her volleyball talents to Arizona State University, where she spent three seasons. She currently is a graduate assistant at Arizona State with the volleyball team well getting her master’s degree.

Melo said she is staying active in volleyball both playing and coaching. She has spent this summer helping at many camps. After the WNCC camp, Melo said she has camps in Washington and Arizona before the Sun Devils open preseason practice.

“I have been coaching a lot because I still love the sport,” she said. “I have been playing sand volleyball on the side so I can still play the sport.”

At Arizona State, Melo played every match as a junior and then suffered a season-ending ACL injury her senior year. She sat out the rest of the 2004 season and received a medical red-shirt allowing her to play in 2005. In her final season at Arizona State, she averaged nine set assists a game.

Melo said that hardest part of her volleyball career was her senior season when she had to endure sitting after tearing her ACL three matches into the season.

“It was really hard and it was one of the toughest situations I have been through in my career,” she said. “I had to work a lot to get back and I really wanted to get back to have one more year. I went through a lot, but I matured and it helped me through everything.”

Melo said while she had fun at Arizona State, it was WNCC that prepared her well for the Division I level. “I loved my teammates and coaches at Arizona State,” she said. “I loved playing at the high level because we were in the PAC 10 and we had really competitive competition. It is a lot different [going from junior college to Division I]. I think because we played at a really high level here especially at nationals. But, being at a DI and playing against the best athletes in the country was a great experience for me and it was awesome learning. I also learned a lot from him playing with him. It was a good experience being here.”

Someday, Melo has the dream of coaching at a junior college whether it be with Green as an assistant or has a head coach. Her time at Arizona State and WNCC has prepared the all-American setter from Riibeirao Preto, Brazil, well for the future.

“It has been good being a grad assistant at Arizona State. I have been learning a lot,” she said. “We have two good coaches there. One was with the national team and he is good with the girls. He has a lot of knowledge and I have been learning a lot from him.”

In fact, she even gave Green some ideas of training drills when she was here July 2 and 3.


“It is not that I am coaching him [Green], it is that I am giving him something that I learned while I am here working here with the girls. I have done all these camps throughout the summer and I have been learning these new drills and I am just giving him all these new ideas. I love to see this program be successful because I am an alumni here.”

Melo’s long term goal is to coach, but she also realizes that she wouldn’t have the opportunities that she has today because of Green and WNCC.

“I have no idea [where I would be if I didn’t come here to play volleyball]. I probably would be helping my family out or something,” she said. “I probably would be working and playing volleyball in Brazil. I like Brazil and the players professionally, but I really want to finish school here and coach.”

As for WNCC and Scottsbluff, she will always consider this as one of her hometowns.

“I have so many memories here on this court,” she said. “I just had a great time here with everybody. We had to qualify for nationals through a playoff and we had a game here where this place was packed. It was such a great environment and everybody was just cheering. At WNCC, everybody knew you. Going to nationals was awesome. I just love it here.”