Season Preview: Middle Blockers
August 26, 2010 | Volleyball
Aug. 26, 2010
Washington possesses a great deal of depth and talent in the middle this fall, but even for the school record-holder in attack percentage, and the reigning Pac-10 blocks leader, the common theme for this season is change.
As a sophomore, Bianca Rowland was one of the most efficient offensive players in the nation, pacing the Pac-10 in attack percentage at .456, and earning AVCA All-America honorable mention. In 2009, while at UCLA, Amanda Gil led the league in blocks per set and ranked second in the nation at 1.57 to earn All-America Second Team distinction.
Yet both Rowland and Gil (who must redshirt the 2010 season after joining the Huskies in the spring) are heading into years of transition. Starting in the spring, Rowland has been working at the middle spot she's accustomed to, as well as training as an outside hitter. Gil, aside from the transition to a new team, school, and home, is working every day to become a more complete player, starting nearly from scratch with some facets of her game.
To say a team is seeking to improve is not headline news, but the middle blockers on this year's Husky squad all share great physical tools and the perseverance to make the most out of them. But all are being asked to make significant changes over the coming weeks and months.
Rowland's transition will be an interesting storyline early on this season. According to Coach McLaughlin, working her out on the outside has also helped to strengthen her all-around game, so even if she never played one point at outside hitter the work would still pay dividends.
"We are cross-training Bianca, and she is really developing her game," said McLaughlin. "She is becoming a more complete volleyball player. It's made me more aware that we need to do this with more kids, and get them to learn how to play the game of volleyball; to be able to pass, to set, to hit, to make all the little plays. And Bianca is starting to get a better feel for the game, and that's an important part for every player, that they develop a feel."
There is still plenty of work to be done at the position, and in the middle as well. But Rowland's time on the outside also depends on another player taking her place inside.
"If we can improve Bianca's double arm lift and, when she separates, get her into a really good torque position, she could be one of the best outside hitters in the country. We have some options with her, but those other kids in the middle have to develop," said McLaughlin. "If they develop, we can plug her in outside. But we can also continue to use her in the middle, because we know she's very good there. She's starting to stay off the net better, and I am really pleased with her progress."
The returners include junior Lauren Barfield and sophomore Kelcey Dunaway, both of whom saw significant playing time last season, and look to continue gaining confidence and making a bigger impact on offense and defense.
In an unfortunate bit of déjà vu, Barfield broke a bone in her hand this fall while laying out for a dig, one year after a similar break in her hand kept her out of the first eight matches of the season. She has continued to practice, however, and it remains to be seen if this injury will cause her to miss any time. At any rate, this is a big season for the 6-foot, 5-inch junior from .
McLaughlin sees Barfield becoming a better learner, saying "the main thing with her is making the changes in her game, and learning how to make those changes. She's made a lot of progress but there is much more to make. But she can get there. She's fast, she's improved her eyework which is making her even faster, and she's making better choices; she's seeing the game better. As we improve her mechanics and her arm swing she's going to hit with more range. But I'm impressed with how hard she works and I still believe she can get there."
Dunaway was pressed into action last season after Barfield's injury and performed admirably. She was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Northwest Challenge after leading the tourney with 19 blocks. The Bainbridge Island native finished third on the team in attack percentage last year at .364 and averaged 1.09 blocks per set. But again there are still specific obstacles that McLaughlin wants to see the sophomore overcome
"Kelcey is fast. The primary emphasis with her is just getting her arm swing in place, and getting her to torque more, and getting her elbow down. If we do that, she's going to do the things we need at that position and can really help the team," said McLaughlin. "She's a kid that works so hard; one of the hardest workers on the team and we have a lot of hard workers. I really like her and I believe she can get there, but she's got some mechanical flaws we have to fix and there's a sense of urgency going into her third year. Again I think she can get there, her eyework's getting better and she's starting to process the game better so she's in better spots now. But I love training with that kid."
As for Gil, though she will use her redshirt year this fall, it's already apparent that she can still impact the team in a big way with the intensity she brings to practice, and the challenges she poses for the Husky hitters on a daily basis.
"We've had her do some opposite blocking, and put her on Becky, Kindra, Kylin and Bianca, and she really put up some resistance there, and it's been really good for our outside hitters to go against her. She is going to use this redshirt year to get better at everything and provide strong competition for our hitters in practice. I can't wait to see her play next year," says McLaughlin.
The 2008 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Gil obviously does many things right. "Amanda makes stuff look easy. She makes the things that middles do look easy," McLaughlin says, but adds that, "we're expanding her abilities."
"To be honest, we didn't even let her hit a slide in the spring, which is her bread and butter. We got her good in the two gap, and now she can pass, she's learning to serve better, and we're holding her to a much higher standard and teaching her some specific movements serving. But she is a good girl, a good learner, and she applies herself in every part of her life."
It's not just enough to become an adequate setter, either. Excellence is the goal in every area for Gil. "She has an awareness that most kids don't have," McLaughlin says. "She sees the game extremely well, even digs the ball well, so there's nothing this girl can't do. I challenged her to be the best server on this team, which is a weakness for her, and she's attacking it."
The other new addition to the middle corps this season is freshman Stephanie Stoll, from Issaquah High School in Bellevue. At 6-foot-2, Stoll has impressive athleticism but McLaughlin says her time to develop will really come during the spring season.
"Steph has a long ways to go, but she knew that and we knew it. The deal will be how she commits to this thing, and how bad she wants this, and if there is a hunger. She's got to make all the right choices to become a good player and then become a great player. She's got some physical ability, she can jump, but she's not mechanically sound yet. She doesn't know how to see the game yet. She'll get some reps this year but she'll get most of the work in the spring, so she's got to have some patience too."
For the work that lies ahead, Stoll can observe her fellow middle blockers as they all look to take their games to a new level.
