2018 SFA Senior Tributes

For each of the last three seasons, I have ended the year with a post summarizing my recollections about some of the conferences' most memorable seniors.  This is the fourth year of jotting down these senior tributes, but in 2018 I am going to separate the SFA seniors from those from around the league.  This season was particularly special to SFA Volleyball and so there will be two "senior tribute" posts this December; this first one dedicated to our four seniors that led our club so well during the year.  Later in the week, we will go around the league for stories and memories associated with various players that I crossed paths with during their Southland seasons.

For now, enjoy these four SFA senior tributes.  Before beginning, I should also give a huge shout out to each of these four ladies' families.  Behind every one of these athletes are parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters and extended family that have been so supportive to both myself and the team.  Your dedication to your special athlete on this list and your friendship to me is not overlooked.  Thanks to each of you for all of the conversations and encouragement.

Haley Coleman

There were years when in my boldness I would ask head coach Debbie Humphreys when the next big scoring left-side attacker was going to show up on campus.  Many a good volleyball club of years gone by had dominating middles ,right-side attackers and nimble liberos, but when 2015 rolled around, Haley Coleman was suggested as being the silencer of my concerns.  I read her high school bio.  'Decorated and surely skilled', I thought, but 5'9"?  This is our left-side go-to hitter?  Then, I saw her in practice as a freshman.  Specifically, I saw her jump.  What an athlete.  I have known fewer disciplined players than Haley Coleman during my years of association with Ladyjack Volleyball.  You can read the outgoing bio like I read the high school one.  Sure, sure, you'll find all the accolades: conference honors, player of the week, academic awards, etc.  They piled up like laundry on a freshman's dorm room floor.  Her last two years at SFA, she was consistently seen as one of the top two or three outside hitters in the Southland Conference.  But, what you won't see in the box scores and online articles like this one is character.  Class.  Dare I even suggest, elegance.  Haley Coleman plays an elegant style of volleyball and her character also reflects this rather unique refined and subtle trait.  She holds herself to a high standard and the results have followed.

Haley Coleman is one of the best outside hitters our program has seen over the last decade.  She finishes with over 1000 career points, 2.16 kills per set, 919 kills, 1147 digs (2.70 digs/set) and 96 aces.  I had the personal good fortune of having Coleman in a summer class.  She was one of the very best students I taught that entire academic year.  One story I'll never forget about Haley took place on the road at UIW during her sophomore year.  I went back and looked it up.  Abby McIntyre went bananas that day and had 17 kills, but Coleman chipped in 15 digs, so I thought I'd go interview Haley for post-match comments.  My six questions elicited about a dozen total words with three or four answers being of the "Yep" or "Sure" variety.  The interview was over and she ran to the bus and I was left staring at my recorder telling me that I had a 1 minute 14 second interview to go post.  I realized later on that it wasn't that she was aloof, but rather that she genuinely didn't focus on how good she was.  She didn't get excited to talk about herself like almost all of the rest of the human race does.  Somewhere along the way, Coleman mastered this steady, anchored personality that served her so well on the court for four years.

Coleman recently applied for physical therapy school and I graciously accepted the request to write her a recommendation.  At her senior day, she skirted up beside me at one point and with the smile of someone much younger than her age announced that she had been accepted.  It was a short communication of an accomplishment that wasn't coupled with a long conversation following.  It was simple and filled with a genuine spirit.  That's Haley Coleman.  Gosh, am I glad I got to watch her play. She leaves SFA having made quite the impression on me and most everyone else she came in contact with.

2018 Coleman & Redmond Senior Interview
Coleman After a Win versus Northwestern State in 2017

Peyton Redmond

Near the end of the 2018 season more and more people would ask me (including Karch Kiraly!) what I thought was different about this team versus those of recent years.  Why was it that this team was able to have such success?  My standard answer in November became "Peyton Redmond".  I'm just going to lay it out there:  SFA doesn't win the Southland Conference Tournament and doesn't play in the NCAA's unless Redmond has the 2018 season that she did.  I told her this several times down the stretch and it wasn't just a "rah-rah speech".  I honestly believe this.  Look, I think everyone understood that our highlight reel players were Daron, Coleman and Hollas.  Makenzee Hanna and Anyia Williams also had matches that made your head spin.  But, take Peyton Redmond out of the equation and I just don't see this team as 32-3.

Across the board, Redmond's numbers spiked in her senior season.  Her 280 kills were a career high, as were her 782 attacks, 26 aces and 43 blocks.  One of the best passers in serve receive the team has had over the last few years, I always felt as though if the libero position ever went in the tank (thankfully, it hasn't for some time now), Redmond could handle playing there.  Shoot, I wasn't even convinced Redmond would hold down her starting spot when 2018 began.  Her junior year numbers took a step back from 2016 when she arrived on campus and dug up over 300 balls.  You can go back and read my early articles mentioning  how nice it will be to have someone this good coming off the bench if needed.  Yeah, so that's NOT what happened.  Redmond was really impressive and due to the nomination process for all-conference honors, she got lost in the shuffle of all of our other great contributors.  To me, Redmond deserves an honorable mention for her "glue piece "role on this 2018 squad.

Redmond was anything but overconfident.  Many times she'd play down the praise I'd give her.  A few times she'd even go so far as to say that she "needed to hear" the positive comments I, or others, would throw her after a match.  There was always a tinge of hesitance in her voice about her contributions, and I would always walk away thinking she didn't realize how important she was.  Peyton Redmond was VERY important.  Her steadiness blew me away at times.  You may not have noticed, but Redmond lingered on the edge of the Southland Top 20 in both kills per set and digs per set the entire season.  You could literally count on one hand the number of outside hitters for which that was true in our conference.  In three years, she amassed 738 digs (which is equivalent to just shy of 1000 for a four year extrapolation) and 517 kills.  Her final dig per set number checks in at 2.49 d/s.

I'm a huge fan of all of our players, but I have to admit:  Peyton Redmond was probably my favorite Ladyjack of 2018.

2018 Redmond & Coleman Senior Interview
Redmond at End of 2017 Regular Season

Makenzee Hanna

Over her final two seasons in Ladyjack purple, Hanna averaged right at 300 points per year, hit .308 and put up .99 blocks per set (230 blocks in 232 sets). Wow.  During 2018, she led all right-sides in the Southland Conference in blocks per set and when coupled with our middle blockers, I have no idea why anyone would try and hit through, around or against that double-team.  Makenzee is one of those players that just had a moment in her career where things just clicked.  To me, that was half way through her tenure at SFA.  She got to play more her junior season and she was ready, putting up a career high 116 blocks.  Going in to 2018, there was little question Hanna was going to be an instrumental centerpiece to the club.  I can't tell you how many times this season I would be conversing with opposing coaches about defending our offense and they would begin to talk about our middles, or Coleman and then say "Oh, and then you have worry about Hanna on the right, too".  Their face would always sulk as if it was too much to worry with.  It was like planning to defend her was a wrench in whatever plan the opposition would come up with. 

Makenzee made this offense complete - as in completely dominant.   A lot of good offenses have a primary left-side scorer and a threat in the middle, but Hanna gave us an option all the way across the net.  A highly efficient option.  Go back and look at those cumulative stats over the last two years.  In 232 upperclassman sets, Hanna committed only 110 errors.  That's not even a rate of an error every TWO SETS!  Incredible.  No, that's just flat out ridiculous. How would you like to be preparing to defend first-team all conference studs Haley Coleman and Danae Daron and then get struck with the problem of having to contain an attacker that you can force into an error roughly once every two sets?

Of course, it's not just the Mak Attack on offense.  Her defense was consistently steady across all four years on the court.  She finishes her career with 345 blocks (.92 blocks/set) while splitting time in the middle and on the right.  That final tally falls just shy of cracking the Top 10 all-time at SFA (Kristy Rhodes, 387). The same is true with her blocks per set numbers as well.

One of the things that really got me thinking about how dedicated Makenzee Hanna was to both athletics and academics is the story of her commute to Grace Preparatory Academy from DeSoto during her later high school years. Grace Prep is in south Arlington, a good 25 miles away from where Hanna lived.  The high school used the college scheduling model for courses and so some days Hanna would shuttle back and forth from DeSoto to Arlington and other days, Hanna would be at home studying.  The overall family commitment to make such a structure work was always impressive to me.  I've mentioned it before in other articles, but another thing I will always remember about Mak is her awareness of others around her.  Many days the first 'hello' I would hear when walking into the gym - at home or on the road - was from Mak. Some people are self-absorbed.  Other people - like Makenzee Hanna - have a sense that teamwork extends beyond the jersey.  Sure, players and coaches earn the wins and trophies, but I always felt appreciated by Makenzee and I'll treasure that and use it to spur me on when feeling marginalized.  Makenzee has the gift of making others feel important.

Oh, and that foot kill... who could ever forget that SportsCenter Top 10 foot kill?  Epic.

2018 Hanna Senior Interview
Hanna After 'Jacks Win 2018 SLC Tournament

McKenzie Brewer

Alright, I'm not going to write this one the way you think I might.  Here's what I believe:  I think a lot of people in her shoes would have walked away.  People that are not close to collegiate athletes have no idea - I mean, NO IDEA, how much time, effort and dedication it takes to play sports at this level.  They don't think about the endless workouts, the off-season training, the bus rides, the nights returning to campus at 3 AM, the weight room sessions before dawn and the list goes on and on.  So, when a backup setter doesn't get in to even half of her teams' sets during the first two years of all that, what would be the natural thing to think? It is worth it?  Should I keep doing this?  Why am I even here?  Do I still love this game enough to subject myself to this?  Now, I don't know - maybe, McKenzie Brewer never ask herself even one of those questions during her time at SFA, but I wouldn't fault her one moment if she did.  Being a setter is tough.  Being a setter at SFA is particularly tough.

But, how about this story, huh?  Setter relegated to backup duty finishes career with 1225 assists and co-directs an offense that goes 32-3 and plays in the NCAA tournament?  Talk about a senior memory!  Of all the senior profiles, Brew's is the one I hope all the incoming freshman familiarize themselves with.  THIS is why you stick things out and persevere.  So you can have half the chance to tell all the stories that Brewer gets to tell for the rest of her life.  Sure, Ann Hollas won Setter of the Year, and she deserved it.  But in reality, isn't that award also a trickle down accolade for Brewer?  Part of what made Hollas so unique in 2018 was her total contribution:  assists, kills, digs.  But, who is making some of that possible?  Brewer.

Why are 5-1 offenses more prevalent than 6-2's?  Because you need more people to be effective to run a two setter offense.  There is more to go wrong - more moving parts, more to juggle.  You know how many times I  heard anyone discuss shifting our scheme back to a 5-1 during this season?  How about zero. Oh,  there were occasional days where one of the setters was off and it crossed coaches, fans and my own minds', but in terms of seriously contemplating a definitive structural switch?  It didn't happen.  Brewer gets a TON of credit for the 2018 team success and her leadership was instrumental in our run to the postseason.

Sure, everyone will remember Brew for her humor and laugh.  Teams NEED players like McKenzie Brewer.  Not just as leaders, but as the person who can take the edge off the stress at appropriate moments.  Oh, and how about that serve?  Didn't it seem like every one of Brewer's career 58 aces came at just the right time?  Those two aces against Texas early in Sets 1 and 2 still play over and over in my mind.  So will the career high five-ace match against HBU in the second round of the SLC Tournament.  Check out this stat:  Brewer put up an ace in each of her last 6 career matches and had at least one in nine of her last ten contests.  In the postseason this year, she averaged .85 aces per set.  By way of comparison, half of that rate would easily lead the Southland Conference for the year.

It's one thing to push through the difficulties of being a NCAA D1 athlete when your face is on the schedule card or name is on the leaderboard.  It's another thing to bide your time waiting for your moment to shine - especially when that takes years.  Wear that ring proudly, Brew.  You got the last laugh.

2018 Brewer Senior Interview
Brewer After 1000th Career Assist at SLU

Anchor of the Back Row: OJ Olson

Click here to go to the YouTube video interview with OJ Olson

Let's get straight to it:  OJ Olson is the odds on favorite for 2015 Libero of the Year in the Southland Conference.  In the interview you'll watch (link above), she clearly states she wouldn't trade that honor for the championship she helped the 'Jacks earn in 2014 and I have no doubt that response is genuine.  Still, as someone who picks All-Conference teams each year here at this site, one has to wonder what Olson has left to prove.

Olson will cement herself as a digging legend when all is said and done in December.  There is Stephanie Figgers and then everyone else when it comes to 'Jacks back row defenders.  Figgers was the best libero this league has ever seen. Olson is on pace to finish near Maddie Hanlan in total digs as a 'Jack.  Health permitting, OJ will join Figgers and Hanlan as the only Ladyjacks to amass 2000+ digs in their time in purple.

Unlike some of the other other all-time leaderboards at SFA, I've seen all the top stat-gatherers at libero that SFA has put on the floor.  If you want to call Olson the 2nd best libero in SFA history, I probably won't argue with you.  I'm still sorting out her strengths versus Hanlan's in my mind.  By the end of the year, I may get off the fence.  One benefit of OJ's career is that she has been healthy her entire time here in Nacogdoches.  Hanlan, unfortunately, had to deal with several large scale injuries and recoveries during her playing career.

Honestly, this may be a down year for off-colored jersey in the Southland.  I made a list of all the projected liberos recently and the tally of truly strong players at that position can probably be counted on one hand.  There are many new liberos and inexperienced ones suiting up for our Southland competition in  2015.  That, coupled with OJ's sheer dominance and reputation should set her up for a strong run at hardware come voting time in November.

Actually, she was as good a choice as any for the award in 2014.  She was my pick as you can recount here.  Part of the trouble with individual awards in this conference is that the voters seem to forget that these aren't team awards.  Or at least, if they realize it, they don't apply their knowledge when they vote.  Two things repeatedly happen in SLC voting for all-conference:  1) Because the process is flawed, undeserving players get too many votes because of coach submitted pre-rankings and 2) standout players on poor teams don't get their due.

Coaches submit ranked lists of up to five players and then other coaches and SID's use these lists to pick their top players overall in the conference (by ranking them from 1 to 18).  The top 12 get first team (as if, 12 is a team?) and then the next six form the second team.  This sort of convoluted way of voting allows coaches to have too much power and creates crazy lists of "teams" sometimes containing 6 blockers, 3 setters and no liberos or something like that.  Case in point, last years' 2nd team All-SLC squad had three middles, two liberos and one outside hitter.  I've never seen that combination of girls form a "team" in my entire life.

I know the point is to obtain a list of the top 18 players in the conference, but wouldn't you think that if that were really the goal then coaches and SID's could just make their 18 picks without the lists of five submitted by each coach?  A few times, coaches have COMPLETELY left a player off the ballot that others thought were highly deserving (see Pancratz, Jessica, Oral Roberts University, 2012).  At other times - like SFA last year - the list serves to minimize the contributions of players on strong teams.  SFA had Jill Ivy, Paige Holland, Jacque Allen, Justice Walker and OJ Olson  all deserving of post-season honors. Shoot, maybe all five should have been on the first team.  But, Humphreys unfortunately is asked to rank those five players.  Now, whoever gets ranked 4th or 5th on that list is going to look less-valued to the rest of the voters when that simply isn't the case.

If instead, coaches and SID's are asked to submit a list of 18 or so players without the coaches pre-ranks, an SID or opposing coach can reasonably look at the season, the stats, and use their memory to assess that SFA has five players all deserving of being in the Top 12.  But, there is less chance of that happening while they are sitting there looking at a list that has a name like OJ Olson or Justice Walker listed 4th or 5th on the team ranks.  Now, I want to be clear.  I don't 100% KNOW that Olson was ranked 4th or 5th.  Humphreys' might have told me how she set them - sometimes I know that after the fact - and sometimes I don't.  I have NEVER asked her how she voted, yet we talk about players together a lot.

For instance, I know she had winner Heather Schnars at the top of her picks last year, whereas I would have chosen Devaney Wells-Gibson.  She read my post to learn my choice and the coaching staff and I talked about how they preferred Schnars while we were all sitting around between matches at the SLC Tourney last year.  I know people that voted like she did.  I know people that submitted actual votes like my blog ballot.  I don't have an actual vote in the All-SLC teams published by the conference, but do occasionally get a media vote for All-Tournament teams.  I print my lists here before the conference does and so I specifically do NOT want to know how coaches are setting their lists to avoid the bias I am arguing against here in this post.

Oh well, that's in the past.  The facts for the here-and-now are that OJ Olson is the best libero in the conference.  If she puts up stats and we get wins and she leads the way like she has for the last two years, you can bet I'll be clamoring all season long for the voters to get it right this time.  See - that's just the thing - Olson is so good that she probably can eventually overcome any balloting system.

She just shouldn't have to.

SFA has been blessed by having back-to-back standouts in Maddie Hanlan and OJ Olson anchoring the back row.

It sure is nice knowing we'll have the libero advantage all season long when we make our run at a repeat for conference champions!  #AxeEm

Role Model: Jordan McArdle

Click here to go to the video interview with Senior Jordan McArdle

During the off-season before my senior year in high school,  our new varsity basketball coach found the team picture from my freshman year.  We looked so young, so scrawny and un-athletic in the photo.  As we all stood around, he started naming everyone and stating their role on the team as told to him by our old freshman coach. 

My freshman year in high school, I started every district game for the Freshman "A" team, but when the new coach got to describing me in the picture he said "..and there's Miller.. #12, your old coach says you were the sixth man - first off the bench."

With a dozen or more guys around, I immediately corrected the new coach in front of all my classmates stating clearly that I was a starter that year.  Later, after the group broke apart, I was left standing there a bit embarrassed that I had been so quick to clarify my role.  In that moment, it was more about me and less about team.  The distinction wasn't that important.  He was showing us the photo to get a good laugh and to show us how far we'd come, not to create classes of athletes by announcing who was a star, who was a starter, and who had a role off the bench.

Another #12, Jordan McArdle wears the same ring Jill Ivy does.  And every freshman on the 2015 Ladyjack Volleyball squad would do well to remember that given that McArdle is part of a  key leadership team initiated by head coach Debbie Humphreys this year.  McArdle is a role model.  She's a role model in the pure sense of the phrase due to her leadership qualities.  But, she is also a role model in the strict sense of the phrase in that she has accepted her limited playing role with grace and purpose.

If you have a Facebook account, do yourself a favor.  Take one minute (literally, the video is one minute long) and watch Herm Edwards, former NFL coach and now ESPN analyst,break down what it means to accept your role.  I thought Edwards was dead on and I specifically asked Jordan her thoughts on the issue in the interview you'll see.

I'm not going to be surprised if Jordan McArdle sees the court more often this year than she did last.  But, in case she doesn't... don't think for a minute that she doesn't embrace her role.  Don't think for a moment that she is any less of a leader than Olson or Bates.  Don't minimize players like McArdle.  The ring she wears should serve to remind you what she is and what she accomplished.

Team First.  Wins and losses and championships are not individual things. McArdle is a champion and SFA Volleyball is darn lucky to have her.

Focus On: Janet Hill

I guess when a lot of people watch volleyball, their eyes are naturally drawn to wherever the ball is.  That's probably true for all sports which use a ball.  However, when I am just casually watching volleyball - not calling a game, or describing the action - I find myself focusing on one position on the court and watching how that player moves regardless of whether the ball is near them or not.  This is particularly true of defensive specialists.  Typically, after I've obtained a loose feel for each team involved in the match, I'll start watching a DS and see how she positions herself, moves laterally, what her reactions are like, how accurately she receives serve, how many times she fills the lane of a shot and is in position to dig, etc, etc.  I do this for the other positions on the court as well, but more often that not, if I am watching a position, rather than the ball, it's a back row defender.  I've written here many times that back row defense is my favorite part of volleyball.

For all of the above reasons, I was a little sad when I heard that senior Janet Hill was making the transition to being a "setter only".  That was selfishly motivated, of course.  The last two seasons, Janet has been a huge complement to libero OJ Olson on the back row.  Just look at any roster.  Every team has a few girls that are 5'5", 5'6" listed at DS.  These role players - sometimes three rotation substitutes for a hitter - are the players I often focus on.  They are the unsung heroes of many teams, not getting the glamour of the front row players, setters or libero.

But with SFA bringing in DS and possible libero down-the-road Lexus Cain, it made sense to return Janet to a setter role.  Of course, versatility is what makes Janet so valuable.  You'll hear us talk about that in the interview that you can get to by clicking the link down below.  Janet is a fantastic story.  She worked so hard to first just gain a contributing role with the team.  Then, secondly, she was able to earn some scholarship support when originally that wasn't a part of the deal.  While it appears Holland and Connell will be the primary setters in our 6-2 offense here at the beginning of the year, Hill looking over both of their shoulders will be a good thing.  If either Paige or Shannon needs a breather, or is just having an off-night, it's a truly positive thing to have that third setter on the team - especially in a two-setter offense.

While I do anticipate Janet seeing the floor during the year, we have recent evidence of how influential seniors that are role players can be from the bench.  Les Jackson and Amanda Rister were not every-match starters and at times, barely played.  Yet, both provided solid veteran leadership and maturity.  And that's the great thing about Janet.  She can lead if she is on the court and she can lead if she is in reserve.  In my last post, I commented on how Sophomore Shannon Connell is fortunate to have someone like Holland as a friend and mentor.  Despite Janet not being penciled in as a DS, I have to imagine that she can aid someone like Cain in learning the ropes and providing a veteran helping hand as the freshman adjusts to the speed of the college game from the back row.

While we all know that teams need a good setter, smart and strong hitters as well as blocking strength, I've always believed good teams will have players like Janet Hill and Madison Martin.  In Janet's case, the need is for versatility - like a utility infielder in baseball.  Toward Martin's case, it is always good to have a ball-control OH that can play three rotations solidly, but can also swing if the situation warrants it.

This interview has a lot of great moments in it.  Overall, I enjoyed talking with all three of this years' seniors. Links to all three of the interviews are provided below.

In the near future, I am planing a video featuring Holland and Connell discussing play calling and types of sets.  I get asked questions about those two things a lot by casual fans, so it should be informative to let the experts explain it rather than me.  Additionally, fans ask a lot of questions about the libero, so I anticipate OJ featured in a video or series of videos that explain the role of her position.  Call them "educational videos" if you want. My hope is that if fans, students and people from the community understand volleyball and it's intricacies a little better, then they will become more committed followers of Ladyjack Volleyball.  Plus, they will understand and enjoy more of what they see when they come to a match.

Radio coverage from Arkansas begins Friday at 3:50 PM.  The radio will be streaming free, with no need to download anything, right here at this site.

Click Here For the Interview with Janet Hill

Click Here for the previous interview with Paige Holland

Click Here for the previous interview with Jill Ivy

Focus On: Paige Holland

In the Math & Stat Department at SFA, I teach with a colleague named Roy Joe Harris. He's both a mathematician and a chicken farmer, which while odd enough, isn't close to what he's known for.  What he's known for is his amazing personality.  See, Dr. Harris is a sort of litmus test for whether I should invest time in others.  By this I mean that if you can't get along with Dr. Harris, then there must be something wrong with you.  He can get along with anyone and everyone always loves to be around him.  You are a true curmudgeon if you can't mesh with his personality.  I can get why some people don't like me.  I can reflect back on my actions and words at various times and calculate that other people would have been very put off.  Not, Dr. Harris.   He's just so incredibly likable.

This describes senior Paige Holland as well.  I  just can't imagine Paige developing an enemy or someone not being able to get along with her.  If I heard someone say that they didn't find Paige friendly and warm, then that would be my cue:  Mark that person off your list of wanna-be friends.  Can't get along with Paige?  Probably not going to be worth my effort.  You're probably a mean person.

Pleasant is an understatement. She'll go down in my mind as one of the most mature, courteous, grounded, and humble players I will have interacted with.  Paige is meek in the positive sense of the word.  It's cliche for someone my age with a teenage son to say, but Paige is the kind of person I hope my kid hangs out with in a few years when he gets to college.  I know Paige tries to make her teammates around her better, but regardless of when and how she is able to do that, she does something far more important.  Paige makes PEOPLE around her better.

If I'm Shannon Connell, I'm blessed to have Holland to work with.  With Connell seemingly integrated into the offense for this year and two more following, I can't think of a better mentor to coordinate with than Paige.

Click on the link below to watch the interview done with Paige after last Saturday's scrimmage.  On Wednesday, we'll hear from Janet Hill and on Thursday we will shine some light on the seven juniors that form the other part of the upperclassmen core.

You'll see more about this in days to come, but I did get the final OK from the group at Arkansas to do radio broadcasts from Fayetteville.  For now, all three matches this weekend are scheduled to be covered live on SFA VolleyBlog Radio, right here in this very space that you are reading.  All you have to do is point your browser to my site and click on the radio icon in Friday's post and the audio will start streaming over your phone, tablet, or computer.

Click Here For the Interview with Paige Holland

From Monday:  Click Here for the Interview with Jill Ivy

Focus On: Jill Ivy

When people prepare to play SFA, one of the first names they become familiar with is Jill Ivy. She is as key to team success as anyone in 2014. At this point, Jill is a decorated veteran having earned many all-conference and all-tournament honors during her first three years in purple.

In recent memory, I struggle to remember a player who improved as much as Jill did after her freshman year. During Jill's first year, I recall talking to the parents of a player who is no longer at SFA at a Saturday cookout before a match.  The focus of the conversation were the 2011 freshman and what their projected impact would be across their four years at SFA. During the chat with the parents, I was gushing about Katzy Randall.  One of the parents mentioned Jill's name as a possible big-time contributor as she gained experience. Now, while appreciative of Jill's abilities, it's safe to say that in 2011, I vastly under predicted the total impact she has had at SFA the last three years. I walked away from that conversation and just sort of shrugged my shoulders.

Now, if Randall's shoulder had held up, I might have been right.  But, one thing is for sure.  Jill Ivy is one of the best players in the Southland Conference.  It doesn't take five minute analysis over a chili dog at a game day party to know that.  Everyone. Knows. It.

Leading up to the first serve of the season we will follow the schedule below.  Each day will feature a new interview or post! Volleyball is back.  It's time to Get On Board.

Click on Jill's name in the link below to go to our new YouTube Channel!!

Monday:  Interview with Jill Ivy 

Tuesday:  Interview with Paige Holland

Wednesday:  Interview with Janet Hill

Thursday:  Preview of our seven Juniors:  Allen, Bates, Evans, Kainer, McArdle, Martin & Olson

Interview with Seniors: MB Les Jackson & DS Amanda Rister

Last Thursday at the conclusion of afternoon practice, I got a chance to chat with this years' Senior class.  Les Jackson and Amanda Rister have played all over the court during their college years but look poised to settle into more definitive roles their last year on campus. Jackson may very well see more court time in 2013 than in any of her previous years at SFA.  Currently, she projects as one of the main middle blockers for Debbie Humphreys squad.   Rister moves off the backup setter position to more of a defensive and serving specialist for 2013.

Hit the link below to hear our conversation which includes everything from Les' thoughts on being the last one standing from the 2010 recruiting class, Amanda's take on what makes a good serve, as well as a little behind the scenes info about life on the road which has at times included the making of team music video parodies.  Les also clues us in to the origin of the now semi-famous Soft Smile Saturdays.

I hope you enjoy listening to the conversation and much as I did talking with two athletes that always represent SFA Volleyball in such a positive light.  Next Up for this Thursday:  A sit down with back row standouts: Libero OJ Olson and DS Janet Hilll will be the focus of this week's interviews.

Click Here For Jackson & Rister Interview

2009 Veteran Previews: Seniors

This is the first of three posts which showcase the veterans returning for 2009. Today we focus on the seniors that will take the court for Debbie Humphreys squad. Over the weekend, we'll turn our attention to the juniors and the sophomore class gets all the attention during the middle of next week. Oh, you can be sure we won't forget the freshman. With five of them, we are going to try and do something special to introduce all of you to the newcomers.


13 Ashley Bailey 6-0 Middle Blocker

100+ blocks. Mark it down - it's as good as in the books. Don't believe me? Then consider that Bailey has been amazingly consistent at the net since returning from her redshirt season in 2006. Realize that any comparison between stats put up in 2007 and 2008 has to adjust for the sets being played to 25 for the first time last year. In 2008, Bailey led the conference with an even 1.00 block per game while tallying 91 total rejections. Translated to 30 point sets, that's equivalent to 1.20 blocks per (30 point) game. In 2007, Bailey posted an essentially equivalent figure of 1.22 blocks/game. So, at the net, you know what you are going to get. She leads a core of middle blockers that will be as solid as any crew in the Southland Conference. Mix Bailey in with '08 SLC First Team selection MC Bottles and throw in the depth provided by Arielle Daron and opposing hitters are gonna have to get used to their attacks landing on their own side of the floor. That's without even factoring in any bonus contribution the 'Jacks get from 6-2 freshman Amber Doolittle.


The real leap forward by Bailey in 2008 wasn't in terms of defensive presence at the net. Instead, a complete player emerged as evidenced by more efficiency on offense. Her .298 hitting percentage was second only to Bottles on the club and really represents the step forward made from 2007 when she hit just .165. Kills per game stayed fairly constant going from a translated 2.24 per game in '07 to 2.35 per game in '08. Its the efficiency that made the difference - a feature Humphreys surely hopes to see again in '09.


There was always the potential for this. Bailey was often labeled as "raw" prior to her injury - her athleticism from day one on campus was undeniable. The difference now is that the raw power is harnessed and she clearly has become an all around force. She's imposing and intimidating... and she's an anchor. At a minimum expect a performance equal to her SLC Honorable Mention campaign in 2008. An even modest step forward and she's in the running for 1st team honors and SLC Player of the Year.


Her overall career numbers may not rival what Bottles totals will be by 2011, but that's only because Bailey played in the shadow of Traci Rohde until last year. Along with Bottles, she is as steady a contributor as the club has going into 2009. She's got no question marks hanging over her head like a few of her colleagues. Reliability is what to expect and she's got the ability to put the team on her shoulders - as broad and as strong as they are.


2 Paloma Buckner 5-11 Setter


During late October of last year primary setter Whitney Schott was fresh off a career high 62 assists in win against Sam Houston. No matter. Buckner was called on in the next conference match and responded with 41 of her own against rival Lamar. It was a very emotional match as the 'Jacks jumped out to a 2-1 set lead but ultimately had to watch Lamar celebrate a comeback win on our home floor. That match was the beginning of a shifting back and forth between Schott and Buckner as the primary play caller the rest of the year.

You need only know two things about how that setting seesaw eventually played out: 1) Humphreys went to Buckner in the decisive fifth set in the SLC Tourney game against Sam Houston and 2) Schott is probably now mixing in figure skating with setting on the frozen tundra that is Wisconsin-Green Bay.

I get the feel Humphreys genuinely trusts Buckner in an obviously more visible role this year. She won't have to carry the lion's share of the setting duties with teammate Laurel Kuepker trading in the libero jersey for her quarterback assignment alongside Buckner. Just how much time on the court Buckner gets in '09 is still unclear. But, I've got to believe that the combination of Buckner and Kuepker will be productive and the distribution of playing time looks to be fluid depending upon Kuepker's effectiveness in her new role. Be sure: Buckner is more than insurance against Kuepker's transition. Buckner would probably do just fine running the whole show - that probably won't be how it plays out, but its got to make the coaching staff comfortable knowing they can go with a twin attack of Lo and Buckner when necessary.

As I see it, Buckner's role is influenced to some degree by what freshman Maddie Hanlan can handle on the back row. Humphreys would like to see Hanlan contribute significantly at libero. If she can do that, then not having Kuepker in the off-colored jersey is a more comfortable proposition. One has to wonder if the club would be tempted to go back to Lo at libero if Hanlan needs more time before assuming a large defensive role. If so, Buckner would stand to benefit from increased time at setter. All signs point to Kuepker's role truly having shifted, but this is August and what really matters is what Humphreys sees as the best personnel to trot out on the court come November.

Buckner looks to make a significant contribution in '09. To what degree is the only issue. The bottom line: I think everyone involved sees the total contribution coming at setter as superior to what the club got last year.


6 Sydney Milburn 5-7 DS

Defensive Specialists don't get enough credit. All work, too little glory. The game is based around getting this ball-thingy over the net and they're the ones that play farthest away from it. "Back Row" players they're called. Where do you want to be at a concert? Front Row or Back Row? See what I mean. It's not fair.

For my money though, I still say the play I want to see the most is someone diving face first into the hardwood with arm extended saving a ball from going off the floor. Even the statistical term implies it's dirty work: the dig. Gotta love it. That's Milburn's job. Back row defense.

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Trivia: Take away the fact that Lauren Railey can't put on the uniform anymore and that the aforementioned Kuepker has assumed the role of setter and who does that leave as the returner with the most number of digs per game?

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Winner-winner chicken dinner: That'd be Milburn. Of the five freshmen that are just getting acclimated to college volleyball, only Hanlan is a back-row specialist. The club doesn't have near the DS depth that they do in the middle front - and maybe they don't need it, but when I scan the roster and only see "DS" twice that tells me that Milburn may very well see the court more in '09 than she did in '08. Hey, just like Buckner, Milburn was on the floor when the last set of the season commenced. She saw action in all five sets that night. Hopefully, she can build on the 12 digs that she put up in the final match of 2008.

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One interesting note: At the team dinner last Sunday, Coach Humphreys chose Milburn to end the night by telling all in attendance what they could expect from the team in 2009. That told me something. Whether on the floor a ton or not, Milburn is a senior - and with that comes the expectation of leadership. She seems to be up to the task. Make sure and yell just a little louder when she digs one off the floor while crashing into press row. Remember, DS's don't get enough credit.