Most of the time, in articles dealing with volleyball, the majority of the piece is spent focusing on the offensive output of a team, specifically in the amount of kills or aces or blocks a team accumulates. Those are the flashy numbers people want to read about, but they often do not realize there is way more to the story of a volleyball game than just the hitters.
AS MANY AS THEY CAN HANDLE
The setters, liberos and defensive specialists on Biola’s team have been quietly supporting the hitters since day one. Biola currently has three setters on the roster and two liberos/defensive specialists that span all four classes. Senior Ashton Arbuthnot, junior Tori Moons and freshman Becca Branch fill the setter positions, while sophomore Tess Van Grouw and senior Alex Brehaut occupy the spot of libero/DS.
The usual role of a setter is to take the second touch and set it to one of the hitters, regardless of where the pass goes. This requires a setter to move quickly to get to errant passes, as well as have the control to put up a hittable set. The job description of a libero/DS would basically read ‘to be the best passer on the court.’ They are to take as many passes as they can, as well as handle the hard-driven balls from the other team.
LESS VARIABILITY
All three of the Eagles’ setters have seen plenty of playing time this season, and have amassed a combined 864 assists in the 21 games of the season so far. Arbuthnot currently leads the team with 452 assists, mainly due to having played in all 21 games. Moons has racked up 303 assists in the 19 games she has played in, and Branch has tallied an extremely impressive 109 assists in the five games she has played in.
“Having three of us means we also have to work to be similar in the way we set, so the hitters have less variability from us when the setter changes on the court,” Arbuthnot said.
By this, Arbuthnot means the setters have to work hard to make their sets as close to the same height and speed as possible across the board, so the hitters are confident of their timing and can make their approach to hit the ball as good as possible.
OFTEN OVERLOOKED
The libero and DS are likewise under-appreciated, but Brehaut and Van Grouw have done a fantastic job in making the setters’ lives easier, and by extension, the hitters’ as well. Van Grouw leads the Eagles in digs so far this season, tallying 219. Not far behind at 196 digs is Brehaut. Another notable Eagle player who is officially listed as a hitter but often plays the role of libero or DS is senior Crissy Cunningham, who has 116 on the season.
“I think it’s easy for setters & DS to be overlooked, simply because the hitters are making more powerful moves that are undeniable,” Arbuthnot said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m impressed by the hitters too, and I’d love to be able to do what they do!”
It is true the hitters seem to get all the publicity in the media, but let’s not forget the hard-working setters, liberos and defensive specialists who make it all happen outside of the spotlight.
