Season Preview: Setters
August 25, 2011 | Volleyball
Aug. 25, 2011
Season Preview: Outside Hitters
No. 7 UW Opens 2011 In Long Beach
SEATTLE - Competition is one of the core values of Husky volleyball, and nowhere is it more evident this season than at the critical setter position.
"I know this, whoever wins this battle will be a great setter," says Head Coach Jim McLaughlin.
The combatants are sophomore Jenni Nogueras and senior Evan Sanders, who came to UW from Colorado State after leading the Rams to the NCAA tournament the past two seasons, including an upset of her new team in the second round in 2009.
Nogueras and Sanders are both looking to take the reins from Jenna Hagglund, who as a four-year starter led the Huskies to the Elite Eight twice and finished with the 10th-most assists in Pac-10 history. Sanders has the match experience, but Nogueras has had longer to mesh with the returning Dawgs. Both look to have an abundance of talent and competitive fire, and they are embracing the challenge.
"We're flip-flopping setters every drill, and we're keeping records every drill. The competition is awesome and they're handling it the way they should," McLaughlin says. "This is very real, these kids are competing hard, they're both good and both are getting better. So we've got to keep developing, but it sure keeps them on task in every facet of their games.
The setters are being measured across the board, "primarily distributing the ball, leading the team, operating the team, and then their ability to serve, play defense and block," McLaughlin says.
"Who sets the quick better and who sets the slide?" he says, referring to their plays to the middle blockers. "We're measuring all that, and both players are making good progress. It will come down to who's winning more drills."
Nogueras came in as a freshman in 2009 and pushed Hagglund early in the season, appearing in 11 matches and registering double-digit assists in key matches against Minnesota and California. Last season Hagglund played out her All-American career and Nogueras was able to use a redshirt season so she would have three years remaining.
The Puerto Rico native "has a personality that everyone loves, it's infectious," says McLaughlin. "She has moments where she's hot so if she can just be consistent with what she does she has a chance to run this team. Jenni is quick, she has long arms, and she jumps well, so she should become a strong blocker."
With just one season remaining in her college career, Sanders felt her game had hit a plateau at Colorado State and she was no longer happy despite being an All-Mountain West Conference selection as a sophomore and junior. She came to Washington hoping to advance to the next level. Sanders said that although she could have transferred to other schools and been the unquestioned starter, she felt that battling for the starting spot at UW would make her the best player, even if she had to accept a reduced role.
"Evan is one of the most talented setters I've ever coached just in terms of pure ability," McLaughlin says. "She's got the physical ability and a nice release. We've tweaked some little things with her to make her better, and as she's beginning to understand the little changes that could take her to a higher level, she's been open to that. Evan can become a very strong blocker as she learns the movement patterns and the eye-work which will allow her to be in the right place at the right time.
With the youth of Washington's outside hitters, the setters may need to be extra extroverted on court, and mindful of how they deal with players in their first college matches.
McLaughlin acknowledges that "communication is very important at that position; what they're saying. We'll mic up the setters and study that and help them with it, get them to run the team and keep the vibe intact."
It is a competition where Washington is certain to win out in the end.
