AMHERST, N.Y. -  Many words can be used to describe Daemen women's volleyball veteran Georgia Wicker and her impact on the Wildcats community. But, reliable best fits her and her time on Main Street the past four years.

When Daemen women's volleyball head coach Stephanie Albano needed someone to fill the need of a second setter as they transitioned to a two-setter offense late in the 2018 season, Albano looked no further than Wicker, even though she hadn't served since eighth grade when she switched to libero. Yet, Wicker told Albano, as she's done through her entire career, "Put me wherever you need me."

"I'm used to setting and (Coach Albano) said, 'Well, you have good hands and you're a good leader, so let's train you to be setter!'" said Wicker, who has appeared in 313 consecutive sets for the Wildcats over three years. "She literally taught me from the ground up to be a setter… Being a setter also helps every other single position. Being a libero, you have to set sometimes too, so it was really beneficial to me."

The lineup switch paid off when it mattered most when the Wildcats faced Molloy in the East Coast Conference championship at Lumsden Gymnasium on Nov. 10, 2018. With Daemen ahead 24-23 in search of the match point, Wicker was up next to serve – a moment that still gives her "chills" today.

"I thought, 'This is crazy!'" said Wicker. "We had so many fans. It was insane. I served, got it in, and then, they were ready to hit it back. (Daemen teammate) Courtney Bernard goes up and blocks the ball. And you could see in everyone else's eyes, we knew that we had it. The trust that we had in each other, the baseline, the form that we had in each other was great."

"Georgia is the ultimate team player," said Albano. "She has filled any role that we needed her to the past three years… She stepped in, stepped up and helped to lead us to an ECC tournament championship. She has a strong competitive spirit, passion for the game, and a high work ethic."

Wicker's inner drive developed while growing up in Woodstock, Ill. – the film site of the 1992 Bill Murray hit comedy, Groundhog Day, and right in the heart of the Bears – Packers NFL rivalry. A Chicago Cubs die-hard too, Wicker credited her late grandma for passing on a love for the hometown team.

"She would have on sports all day, every day," said Wicker. "That (Cubs World Series) win (in 2016) was a huge win for her too."

Wicker also found her love for becoming a teacher, thanks to her parents. Her mother, Wendy, was an elementary teacher for 30 years and now serves as a reading specialist in the Woodstock School District. Her father, Don, is a middle school history teacher and wrestling coach, and previously, an administrator in the Dundee Central School District for decades. She has a close relationship with her younger sisters, Sophie, a freshman libero at Southwestern College in Kansas, and Ella, a sophomore volleyball player at Woodstock High School, Georgia's alma mater.

As a first grader, Georgia knew she wanted to be a teacher, like her parents.

Fast forward to the present.

Now a senior in Daemen's education program, Wicker's area of study is Spanish, and she will pursue a master's degree in special education. Continuing her volleyball career wasn't the only reason why she chose to attend Daemen. The reputation of the academic programs and the hospitality from everyone on campus made an impression when she came on a recruiting visit.

"I can't believe that so many people were so personable when I (live) 10 hours away," said Wicker. "It meant a lot to me and I've never been far away from home like that before. Having a home away from home was a huge reason why I'm here."

One of the people in Wicker's corner at Daemen College since day one is Karen Wegst. An assistant professor in Education and the head of the Student Teaching Placement program at Daemen College for the past seven years, Wegst said Wicker is far beyond her years in the classroom.

"Her understanding of children, of needs, of the educational plan, of working with people of all ages, but her motivation and engagement activities are far beyond many of the students that I even meet," said Wegst, a long-time elementary school teacher and administrator before arriving at Daemen. "I told her last year she's an absolute natural. With her skills and abilities, she was ready last year to go out in the field and teach. Seeing her and practicum and just her ability to apply all of her knowledge is incredible. She specifically understands children's needs educationally, as well as emotionally and physically and she differentiates for her children like no other."

A major factor for Wicker deciding Daemen's education program was their emphasis on practicum learning. Since the spring of her freshman year, Wicker has shadowed teachers in kindergarten, third grade, sixth grade and special education classes, which she said gave her an advantage.

"When I was talking to a couple teachers back home (in Illinois), they said, 'We didn't get to go into the classroom until the end of junior year,'" said Wicker, who would like to teach English in Spain for a year in the near future. "And so, for people that aren't sure if they want to do education, it's really hard when you're at those schools and you don't get to do practicum because you don't get to really see what it's like.

Here (at Daemen), you get to go into the classroom and observe. The teachers you're paired with are really 'hands-on' and help you learn. It's been really cool to see."

"The best thing about Georgia is she is very humble," said Wegst on her student's character. "She never ever, in any way, if anything she never gives herself enough credit. She's just so humble in the way that she treats people and the way she talks to people. I always say, 'Every day's an opportunity for a new learning day' and that's how she is.
She's a life-long learner. I can't speak highly enough of her."

Outside of academics, Wicker has developed into a team leader for the Wildcats volleyball program in this span. With five of the six freshmen in Daemen's starting lineup in 2017, including Wicker, everyone grew together as a team, leading up to this point for their senior campaign, tentatively this spring. For this upcoming season, the Wildcats formed a Leadership Council to determine their captains. Jenn Heritz, Ali Greenwood and Wicker were selected.

While they weren't expecting to be future collegiate teammates, Greenwood and Wicker first met in December 2016. The two were voted by area coaches in Illinois to be on an All-Star team for uncommitted seniors. About a week after Greenwood committed to Daemen in early February, Wicker visited and liked the campus and program too. Calling Wicker "one of my closest friends, if not my best friend, on the team," Greenwood appreciates their on-court bond as they are the first to hype each other up after a great play.

Without Wicker on the court or in the dorm life, Greenwood said her time at Daemen would've looked different.

"Anytime I was struggling with anything, she was always the person I'd go to," said Greenwood, a senior libero and North Aurora, Ill. native. "And every year, except freshman year, I've lived with her, so whenever I have a rough day at school or in volleyball, I'd always come home to her wanting to support me. That has helped me get through so many things and I couldn't imagine her not being there. I don't have another person like that here. She's been really important to me."

Despite the demands of being a student-athlete, Wicker made carving time for herself a priority the past couple years and what she relies on the most to stay focused. To relax, Wicker likes to crochet, another skill she learned from her late grandma, or listen to music. On rotation lately include Adele's "All I Ask," Lorde's "Supercut" and any song from Luke Combs, like "Hurricane."

Wicker wished she knew years ago not to second guess herself. Since shifting her perspective a couple years ago, her life at Daemen has gone well.

"Everything happens for a reason," said Wicker, who hopes to start her teaching career in the City of Buffalo after finishing her master's degree and Daemen volleyball career next fall and, in the future, teach in her dream spot, North Carolina. "I ended up here because that's what happened. That's my reason. That's what's I'm doing right now and I'm so glad that that happened.

Daemen is a really awesome place. It really is. College is hard and it'll kick your butt but being around people that really support you in a family, like the volleyball team, and having sisters here, is really cool."