Sept. 27, 2006

~ By PETE IORIZZO, Albany Times Union Staff writer
First published: Friday, September 22, 2006

LOUDONVILLE -- The act of spiking a volleyball looks something like this: A player fully extends her body, then leaps, arches her back and, with the violence and motion of a tennis serve, swings her arm. When the volleyball screams over the net fast enough and hard enough to evade the opposition, the player earns what is called a "kill."

Nadiege Honore, a Siena junior, kills a volleyball better than most.

Execution of a kill requires finesse and force, grace and aggression. Honore covers them all, which explains how she can be at once the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's most feared outside hitter while also dabbling in song and dance, modeling, poetry and a class called "Love and Intimate Relationships."

She is a serial killer with a soft side.

"Everybody loves her," said her teammate and roommate, junior Liz Akin. "When she's around, it's just always wild, crazy stuff."

Take this scene from last week, inside the dormitory room Honore, a native of Trinidad, shares with Akin, from Colorado, and their friend, from Colombia: With the sounds of Kelly Clarkson, reggae and hip-hop playing through their stereo, they joined in the common room for what Honore described as a "dance party."

Those who know Honore best have come to expect such things. As an elementary school student, she choreographed dances and fashion shows. She can play the piano -- and a few times, when she spotted one available on campus, she treated friends to a tune or two. She sang, too.

During high school, Honore attended a modeling conference in Florida. She performed three styles of modeling -- runway, photography and swimwear. A modeling agency in New York City even took an interest and phoned her, though Honore said because she was busy with volleyball, she never followed up.

"Maybe if I have time after volleyball," she said. "I wouldn't do it career-wise. But maybe to make some money on the side."

Before taking to volleyball, Honore played tennis, swam and, not surprisingly, competed in the high jump. She learned volleyball in junior high school, after a coach recruited her because of her height. Before that, she had never heard of it.

Siena coach Garvey Pierre first noticed Honore during her senior year, when the Saints scrimmaged the Trinidad national team, for which Honore played. He offered her a scholarship after the match.

"She's a big jumper, a very powerful jumper," Pierre said. "She had a lot of things to work on, but they were things we could work with. We really liked her athletic ability because she was a big jumper with a big swing." After visiting Siena, Honore decided to leave Trinidad, a tropical island just off the coast of South America where her family traces its roots back more generations than she can count. Her parents, Terrence and Judith, still live in the same home in which she was raised.

"You can't see the beach from there," she said, "but you can feel the ocean breeze."

Honore's siblings also came to the United States for college volleyball. Her brother, Marc Anthony, plays at Saint Francis (Pa.) and her sister, Solange, is a freshman at Norfolk (Va.) State. Honore's parents have never visited Loudonville because the trip can cost as much as $900. But she said they hope to come to a match this season.

a sophomore last year, Honore ranked fourth in the MAAC in kills per game, with 3.96. This year she was named the preseason MAAC Player of the Year. Honore led Siena in kills last season and figures to do so again this year, as the Saints aim to repeat as conference champions and reach the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.

A psychology major, Honore said she plans to attend graduate school in the United States, then, perhaps, work toward becoming a psychologist, specializing in couples therapy. Then, she wants to return to Trinidad. "I want to spend my life there eventually," Honore said. "I want to get a job, save some money and then go home."

And maybe take a dance class.

"Yes," she said. "I've wanted to do that since I was 10."