LANCASTER - Roxy Neely's volleyball opponents are the lucky ones.

At least they are separated from her by a net. Neely's martial arts opponents, however, are less fortunate.

Neely, a powerful 5-foot-7 setter, whose emergence as the Golden League's most dominant player has a perennially mediocre Lancaster High program on the brink of its first league title, is also an accomplished martial artist.

Last season, she was ranked as high as eighth in the nation in judo.

Neely said volleyball requires a certain level of intensity, but it's not quite the same as judo.

"You have to be very fierce (in judo)," Neely said. "You try to hurt the other person sometimes."

Neely has brought an edge to a Lancaster team that's having its best year ever. The Eagles (10-3, 9-1 Golden League), who've never finished better than third, can clinch a share of the league title when they play host to Littlerock tonight at 6:30.

Neely is averaging 25 assists since Lancaster went from a dual setting 6-2 to a single setting 5-1 system earlier this month.

She led the tea, averaging 15 kills while sharing outside hitting duties. She leads the team, averaging nine digs.

"She has a lot of power in everything she does," Lancaster coach Dave Gutierrez said. "She sets so easily and she hits the ball so hard.

"She's probably one of the physically strongest players I've ever coached."

Neely traces her physical strength to her involvement in judo, which she began when she was 5. She received her black belt when she was 12.

Her strength instantly benefited her when she started playing organized volleyball in eighth grade at Amargosa Creek Middle School.

Learning to embrace team sports after competing as an individual her whole life, however, was an adjustment.

"You can't just rely on yourself (in volleyball)," Neely said. "You have to rely on your teammates."

She has, by all accounts, become a consummate teammate, bringing encouragement and a warrior's mentality.

"For her, winning the fight is like winning the game as a team," said Lancaster junior opposite Nicole Castro. "She gets us pumped up."

Gutierrez cites her leadership as a pivotal factor to the team's success. She is among just three returnees.

Her dynamic playing style has rubbed off on teammates, Gutierrez said.

"She's just been a tremendous role model," Gutierrez said. "A lot of the (first-year varsity) players look up to Roxy to see what a varsity player is supposed to be like, and when they see her diving for balls, everybody wants to be like that."

Neely's trademark is an explosive jump serve that Gutierrez said is among the best he's seen, including when he was coaching high school boys' teams.

"She can wrap her hand around the ball at such a fast velocity," he said. "It's all a result of martial arts training. She's just so stinking powerful."

Neely said she wants to play at a four-year college, a goal Gutierrez believes is attainable.

"She doesn't have the height, but she has the determination and the physical ability to play wherever she wants to," Gutierrez said.  

Neely said the intensity she brings to volleyball is a product of her martial arts background, albeit a toned-down version.

"There's some aggression involved (in volleyball)," Neely said. "You have to work hard at trying to get to the ball, but it's not the same as when you're physically touching the other person.

"It's a different kind of intensity. There's a lot more intensity in judo because there's only a certain amount of time you have to get something done."