Before she left for BYU in June, Nataly Moravec had been coached by the same woman since she was five years old. Dina Ding not only was a world-class volleyball player in China, she has been friends with Nataly’s mom since they were teenagers in Tianjin.
Depending on the sport, depending on the school, coverage of high school sports in Connecticut can vary dramatically. A volleyball outside hitter from Weston at a prep school in New Haven doesn’t receive the same attention as a 7-foot basketball player headed to UConn or a quarterback leading his school to the state title.
That doesn’t make Nataly Moravec’s ability less substantial or her story any less compelling. Among her long list of honors at Hopkins School, Moravec was named AVCA High School first-team All-America — the only one from New England — and twice AAU Academic All-America. She is headed to a BYU team that finished 30-2 last season and was ranked No. 9 in the nation.
Her story is a fascinating one with bloodlines that span from Bratislava, Slovakia to Tianjin, China. Still, leaving home for college for the first time is a little daunting for any Connecticut teenager.
“Of course, I miss home, but we’ve been so busy here,” said Moravec, who started summer school at BYU to get a jump on her credits. “Practice. Weights. School. I was very nervous going into this about making friends and how we’ll bond together. Getting to know all the girls before the season actually starts is great. They’re all super nice and very supportive.
“I picked BYU because of Heather Olmstead — she was national coach of the year (in 2018) — and the coaching staff. I felt our views really aligned. Both in terms of fundamental skills and her overall coaching aspect, it was very similar to Coach Dina’s.”
Through Evergreen Volleyball Academy in Stamford and Hopkins, Ding has been Moravec’s first and only head coach. Ding Hongying, who represented China in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, played pro volleyball for nearly two decades. Team captain, primary setter, Ding led Tianjin Bridgestone to seven national titles. She has built Evergreen into a club power and, led by Moravec, turned Hopkins from a four-win team into a FAA and NEPSAC power.
“I feel like all athletes have an area where they specialize,” Moravec said. “I’ve never been the most powerful hitter or the one who smashes everything straight to the floor. I feel like it’s more about my technique and how refined I am. That all came from coach Dina. She continuously stressed total attention to detail and that is kind of ingrained in me now. Use my advantages instead of trying to catch up to what other people are doing.
“I’m so used to her coaching since I was five. She would kind of hold my hand through everything. But everyone has to move on at some point. I feel like now is the right time. I’m growing as an athlete.”
Nataly’s dad Roman is 6-8. Nataly’s mom Sheena Shen is 5-9. So it’s not shocking Nataly is 6-2, 130 pounds.
Her grandfather, Roman Moravec, competed in the high jump for Czechoslovakia at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He was 6-7. Her dad played college basketball.
Nataly’s mom led BYU-Hawaii to successive NAIA national volleyball championships in 1992 and 1993 before graduating as salutatorian and going on to pursue her MBA at UConn.
Wait there’s more.
“Her grandma on her dad’s side was 6-1, played for the Czechoslovakian national women’s volleyball team and played professionally,” Ding said. “Her dad’s sister played on the junior national team.
“Nataly’s aunt (Shen’s sister) has a PhD in chemistry. And Nataly’s grandmother was a rocket scientist.”
What?
“Her family is very intelligent,” Ding said.
Moravec said going to Hopkins was definitely the right choice. She was able to start on the varsity team in the seventh grade. Shen has assisted Ding with Evergreen and Hopkins.
Still there were the obstacles caused by the COVID pandemic cancellations. This isn’t lacrosse or field hockey. Ding said her youth teams have played in the AAU nationals and opponents have wondered where Connecticut is. Division I college coaches haven’t exactly swarmed the state for talent.
It is changing. From the class of 2022, Evergreen has four players, including Greenwich High’s Liana Sarkissian who’s headed to Dayton, going D-1 and one going to England. Taryn Stafford, who played at Hillhouse, is going to Texas Southern and is believed to be the first city player to receive a full D-I volleyball scholarship. Highly talented Rachel Huang, who plays for Evergreen and will be a senior at Hopkins, has not decided on a college yet.
“If Nataly has her eye on something, she is very determined to do it,” Ding said. “She basically chose the schools, wrote all the emails, made initial contact with the coaches and did all her highlights.”
Moravec, Ding said, sent a letter to Olmstead on Jan. 1, 2020.
“Immediately, that day, Heather responded she was interested,” Ding said. “Later when we talked, she said it was a very nice New Year’s gift.”
After returning to Hawaii from winning the first national title, it was reported in the Deseret News, the team witnessed the baptism of Shen to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Moravec, not a Latter-day Saint, plans to major in cybersecurity at BYU.
Eventually, she’d love to play professionally overseas, perhaps Europe. She has been to Czechia and Slovakia a number of times. Her grandfather was born in Bratislava. She has family living near Prague.
“Nataly has the height,” Ding said. “She has the body type. She can jump. After 13 years, she has the skills and volleyball IQ. That’s still not enough. You have to work hard and have determination to set yourself apart.
“Nataly really focuses on technique I taught her, more a textbook technique. She never lifted weights. I know so many other clubs lift. We don’t. We do some core strength, some squats. That’s it. The reason her ball is powerful is because of her technique and her speed. She has lightning speed.”
Nataly’s mom was an outside hitter, Ding said, and because she had such an amazingly fast arm swing her nickname was Slingshot. Do you think Nataly can be Baby Slingshot?
“I don’t know,” Moravec said, breaking into a laugh. “Maybe.”
Ding said she coaches more an Asian style stressing skill refinement because players from those countries generally don’t have the size and strength of players from the Americas. With the game constantly evolving she has adapted some American and European methods.
Because Moravec has put so much time into the development of her all-around game, Olmstead has said she is excited about her potential to play six rotations.
“Nataly is not a cookie cutter player,” Ding said. “She is unique. That is why BYU’s coach was interested. Besides everything else, she is not afraid. She is a fighter, especially in the difficult moments when the game is tied.”
At this point, you expect Ding to say something about teaching aggression. Just the opposite.
“She is super nice,” Ding said. “I tell her if you want to be a great player you have to be a good person first. So many players are arrogant, snobbish, it is difficult for them to continue to improve. They think the world of themselves. Nataly continues to improve year after year. That’s why she’s the best player in our region.”
jeff.jacobs@hearstmediact.com; @jeffjacobs123
