I've been thinking this week about the meaning of a "flexible roster" versus a "deep team" as SFA travels to San Antonio to get the 2025 campaign underway. Both phrases are common to hear in pre-season interviews with players and coaches. You've heard it before: "I think we have a really flexible roster this year and I think it will pay dividends as we get closer to November". Or, maybe: "We have a deep team. I can count on my teammates to pick me up if I have an off night."
But, what do these terms really mean? Or, are they just fun words players, coaches and fans like to throw out there to keep the conversations going? Everybody always just nods their heads and moves on when someone starts talking about roster depth or team flexibility.
So, let's try and get into this because I think possibly our club this year may possess both characteristics. But first, let me state that I don't think these two terms are the same. They do sometimes get used interchangeably, but I really think we are talking about two different things here.
For instance, a team might have two athletes that are regular starters and each is fully capable of holding down either a right side or middle blocker spot. The issue isn't whether one will play often - the issue is which will play MB and which will play RS. This isn't a depth situation. This only calls into focus these two players ability to be flexible across two positions that share some measure of similarity in that they require a strong blocking presence.
So, with the acceptance that the terms aren't necessarily the same, let's explore both concepts for the 2025 roster here at SFA. Three examples of flexibility that come to mind for our squad are Molly Cravens, Kennedy Jones and Caroline Kahle. Both at the end of last year and in the recent scrimmage, these athletes have shown fluidity between various positions. Jones was deployed on the left side during '24, but in part because of Cravens shift to the middle, Jones now has an avenue to playing time as a right side attacker. On the topic of Cravens, let me say that she is one of the players that jumped out to me when I first started watching a few fall practices. She is clearly stronger and appears slightly quicker. Her conditioning between last year and this fall clearly has paid dividends. I like what I see from her shifting to the middle and I feel like she'll be quite at home there. Now, concerning Kahle, we saw last year that she is flexible enough to both hold down the libero jersey if called on there or to play on the outside, albeit with more of a ball control focus than being a huge scoring threat.
While there is some additional flexibility present in some of the newcomers to the team, the primary root of flexibility comes in some shape or form through Cravens, Jones and Kahle. So, what are the questions related to this quality? First, will Jones settle in and play consistently as a right side? Can she contribute both offensively and defensively and shore up the reps opposite Katherine Holtman's trips across the front row? If yes, super. The right side should be all six rotation strong. If not, will that necessitate Cravens shifting back or one of the young guns stepping up into the roll?
Secondly, where will Cravens fall in the middle blocker depth? Let's wait on that, because Molly is involved in both the flex and depth part of my breakdown. So, third: Will TWU transfer Luna Franca stay steady in the libero jersey? If so, Kahle can stand ready to stabilize passing and sub for an off outside hitter when called on off the bench. To use a basketball analogy, Kahle can comfortably be the teams' "sixth man" - able to flexibly fill multiple needs as a "first off the bench" type piece. One thing to really like about Franca: she's a good court communicator and aggressive in her back row approach. It's easy to see a maturity there and so the issue should rest rather firmly with her ability to consistently pass so we can run the offense at the speed desired. Okay, that seems to cover the nucleus of the flexibility.
Alright, what about depth? Here, we are talking about multiple players able to play the SAME role rather than changing to have differing responsibilities. Since Cravens is in the overlap, let's state that right now the middle for SFA does look at least cleanly three deep. Which pair of 2024 SLC 1st teamer Kyanna Creecy, Cravens and returning sophomore Jordan Henderson holds down the two starting middle spots could be interesting to watch as the season progresses. By nature of Creecy's previous accomplishments I think she rightfully deserves the space to stay atop the depth chart, but Henderson should push for playing time and the team may encounter periods during the year where differing combinations of middles are flip-flopped and tried to see which is most efficient. This position gets ridiculously deep again once senior Bella Ortiz is ready to go.
Setter? Again, there seems to be three-fold depth. Flynn is playing every night she's healthy. But again, similar to second and third on the depth chart in the middle, sophomore Cambry Saul and transfer sophomore Zoe Gun give the team options for the second setter in our 6-2. Saul got the nod in the scrimmage, and I expect her to get the start to open the season. Gun got a lot of reps in the spring season since she was on campus and so her connection with the majority of the hitters is also well established. One weapon that gives Cambry an edge could be her serve. Saul put up 21 aces last year and had some memorable runs behind the service line. To push Saul aside, Gun would need to both run the offense well and play solid floor defense. I don't think it unrealistic that there could be some mixing and matching at this spot during the year, especially considering how demanding it is to be a setter in this system.
Any depth to be found in left side attack would probably have to come from either Jones moving back to that spot - either by necessity or when Ty Joseph would return and earn court time again - or from newcomers. As is sits, the left-side attack is fairly straightforward. Senior Cam Hill and UTRGV grad transfer Illana DeAssis have the two spots covered. We've seen Hill be productive for three years and DeAssis was stellar in the valley earning first team all conference honors last year. More than that, DeAssis was second in the Southland in kills per set, so it would take a lot to move either off their role. With really only Jones having experience in purple on the left, if Kennedy takes hold of the right, then the depth on the left would be tested in anything unforeseen happens to either Hill or DeAssis. Again, behind the tandem of their experience is just newcomers that show promise but would be thrown into a pretty demanding scenario minus Cam or Illana.
There also is not much depth at libero. It's Franca or Kahle right now. It's a stretch - at least at this point - to see anyone else having that assignment. The team would love to see Franca seize the role and never look back.
So, in summary for the depth concept: At middle and setter, it appears some nice level of depth is there. When Bella Ortiz and Ty Joseph get back the depth at middle and right side obviously increases. The left side is for Hill and DeAssis to run with having both potential and question marks behind and libero is Franca's to get with Kahle able to stabilize.
So, do the 'Jacks have more flexibility than depth? More depth than flex? Or, do they have both? Flexibility, Depth or Both? I guess that's for you to interpret for now and all of us to discover between now and Thanksgiving.
Both opening matches this weekend from San Antonio are available here at the blog on radio. Just hit the radio button at the of the page at 6:00 PM Friday night and 11:00 AM Saturday morning and you'll be a part of getting this 2025 season officially underway.
