Southland Leaderboards You've Never Seen Before

Ok, Southland Conference volleyball fans - this is going to be a little different.  When you look over the traditional statistics in volleyball there are always a few obvious things you notice.  For instance, the middle blockers populate the attack percentage leaders.  Middles, of course, are the group that makes up the block per set leaders.  Liberos dominate the digs per set leaders, and so on and so on.  But have you ever wondered what the leaderboards would look like if you took the the MAIN group that the statistics focuses on out of the equation?  This would give us an idea of which players excel at categories beyond their primary duties.

That's what you get here. Without further introduction, here are four statistics that you might have occasionally wondered about, but have never seen in lists.  These will be updated at the end of the season.  All stats in this post accurate as of October 26, 2018.

Leaderboard 1:  Non-Libero Digs Per Set
As you might imagine, we get a host of six-rotation outside hitters that play good floor defense and defensive specialists that substitute for the three-rotation hitters that can't. Plus, we get Taylor Cunningham because well... she's Taylor Cunningham. Jenna Krenek of AMCC has been in the libero jersey a little at the beginning of the year, but has primarily been a DS during conference play so I included her here. Notice that SFA is the only school with three in the Top 15 and several clubs are not represented at all.

1. Cunningham, (MB, SHSU) 3.35
2. Vivens, (OH, HBU) 3.20
3. Dunn, (OH, UNO) 3.10
4. Tippett, (OH, UCA) 2.98
5. Rogers, (OH, NSU) 2.92
6. Krenek, (DS, AMCC) 2.82
7. Mueller, (OH, ACU) 2.78
8. Redmond (OH, SFA) 2.68
9. Miller, (DS, SHSU) 2.67
10. O'Brien (S, HBU) 2.62
11. Coleman, (OH, SFA) 2.57
12. Warren (OH, NSU) 2.51
13. Brown (DS, ACU) 2.49
14. Torres, (DS, SFA) 2.47
15. Green (S, AMCC) 2.46

Leaderboard 2:  Non-Middle Blocker Blocks Per Set
This will draw attention to pin hitters and front-row setters that do a consistently good job of defending at the net.  I made this list because I have been impressed with the blocking of Ann Hollas this year.  Plus, I had been keeping up with this awhile because I knew Mackenzee Hanna was going to lead this when I first put it together.  As a side note, you'll see two RS hitters listed for New Orleans.  At times, due to injury to another player this year, their front row has been fluid.  I considered the primary middles for UNO to be Grice and Rand for the purpose of making this list.  Again, I think it noteworthy to isolate the blocking of the setters in this list - especially Hollas and Bosse.  Pretty cool leaderboard, huh?

1. Hanna, (RS, SFA) .90
2. Omoghibo (RS, UNO) .81
3. Sandercox (RS, ACU) .78
4. Lewis (RS, McN) .73
5. Hollas, (S, SFA) .71
6. Bosse (S, ACU) .65
7. Brister (RS, NSU) .63
8. Hunter (RS, UNO) .59
T9. Richey (HBU, RS) .53
T9. Chausse (SHSU, RS) .53
T11. Vivens (OH, HBU) .51
T11. Clapp (OH, UIW) .51
T11. Anderson (RS, UCA) .51
T14. O'Brien, (S, HBU) .48
T14. Coleman (OH, SFA) .48
T14. Vega (OH, UNO). 48

Leaderboard 3:  Total Net Aces (Aces - Service Errors)
Minimum: 10 aces

Ever wondered if the ladies at the top of the ace per set lists also are high error?  This is also something I look at a lot.  Realize, it is very hard over the course of a year to consistently have serve responsibilities and keep your ace total above your error total.  In fact, if you can (12 players have), you'll make this leaderboard.  This list makes the serving of Madison Wallace at SHSU look even better.  She currently is the SLC leader in aces per set.  Notice the mixing of all types of positions and look at the representation from New Orleans and SFA on this list.

1. Wallace, (L, SHSU) +10  (36-26)
2. Waddington, (S, UCA) +9 (20-11)
3. Grice, (MB, UNO) +7 (27-20)
T4. Dunn, (OH, UNO) +5 (31-26)
T4. Mirarchi, (S, SLU) +5 (15-10)
6. Hollas, (S, SFA) +3 (18-15)
7. Vega, (OH, UNO) +2 (30-28)
T8. Green, (S, AMCC) +1 (26-25)
T8. Redmond, (OH, SFA) +1 (22-21)
T8. Daron, (MB, SFA) +1 (15-14)
T8. Walker, (MB, ACU) +1 (13-12)
T8. Krenek, (DS, AMCC) +1 (10-9)

Leaderboard 4: Attack Percentage Among Players With Over 1.5 Digs Per Set (Non-Setters)
Alright, this might sound like a crazy leaderboard, but think this out with me.  What we are trying to do here is isolate hitters that play the majority of their teams rotations so that they get some decent measure of digs and then look at those "6-rotation" players hitting percentages. So, we are culling out the setters, which also stay on the floor, but don't universally attack like these players do.  This is kind of like a "6-Rotation OH Attack Percentage" stat, but then again.. we have Taylor Cunningham.  That, in fact, is the point.  This particular stat I believe really tells you just how dominant Cunningham has been.  Look at how hard it is to make in onto this leaderboard.  The 10th place value in this list is just .145 and Cunningham is at .325.  WOW!!

1. Cunningham (MB, SHSU) .325
2. Clapp (OH, UIW) .229
3. Tippett (OH, UCA) .202
4. Coleman (OH, SFA) .199
5. Vega (OH, UNO) .191
6. Redmond (OH, SFA) .187
7. Nelms (OH, McN) .162
8. Dunn (OH, UNO) .160
9. Vivens (OH, HBU) .154
10. Smith (OH, ACU) .145

Finally, here are some things I calculate each year that people really should keep in mind when evaluating hitting percentages and blocking numbers in the Southland Conference:

• The average starting MB in the SLC is hitting .240
• The average starting six-rotation OH in the SLC is hitting .136 (surprised?)
• The average starting three-rotation OH in the SLC is hitting .168 (it has to be higher, right?
• The average starting RS in the SLC is hitting .222
• The average MB in the SLC is blocking at a rate of 0.84 bl/s
• The average RS in the SLC is blocking at a rate of 0.56 bl/s

Kills Per Set Averages (starters):

• MB: 1.82
• 6 rotation OH: 2.46
• 3 rotation OH: 1.97 (it has to be lower, right?)
• RS: 2.20 

Now you know!  Enjoy the last two weeks of the regular season volleyball fans!

2018 SLC Interviews: Reagan Rogers & Madeline Drake of Northwestern State

Our 2018 opposing team interview series continues with a double Demon shot featuring a pair of seniors from Northwestern State.  Having interviewed the stellar Channing Burleson at the 2017 Southland Conference Tournament - and somehow making it last a full 8 minutes - and also having talked with '17 Freshman of the Year Hannah Brister, I knew I wanted to take this chance to talk with Demon personnel in a different direction.

Once the chat with Rogers and Drake was booked I found myself surprised I hadn't interviewed these two before.  Reviewing their stats and talking with others about them I realized that they have both sailed under the radar a bit during the years - especially Drake.  Both have been so instrumental to recent NSU successes and so I was pleased to be able to get this 15 minute talk filmed before NSU took the floor for serve-and-pass last Tuesday night.

Here's the list of questions used for the chat.  You can watch the video at our YouTube channel here.

Both:  This is your senior year.  Has it hit you yet?  Are you happy? Sad? Both?  Has the thought of senior night in Natchitoches crossed your mind?

Rogers:  You're from Blanco, TX (I mispronounced it).  Describe how you got from central Texas to Northwestern State.  Blanco is a small community. Were you looking for a small town feel when you were choosing to go to college?

Drake:  Describe the process of transitioning from Tulsa, OK to Natchitoches.  By the way, can you guess which of the two of you is farther from home?

Rogers:  In both your Freshman and Sophomore years, you were 6th on the club in total attacks.  But last year, you had 500 more attacks than anyone else on the team.  What changed about your game in order to garner than much of a workload?

Drake:  I think you are actually a little underrated among MB's in the Southland.  This may be because our leaderboards only publish block leaders over 1.00 blocks per set and you finished last year at 0.97.  Still, you blocked as many balls as our Makenzee Hanna (116) and she was 2nd Team All-SLC.  Do you keep up with stats like that?  What have you improved most on during your time as a player for NSU?

Both:  You are counted on for senior leadership. What styles do you tend to employ?  Quiet leader?  Vocal? With your respective younger players at your position, how do you lead?

Rogers:  Has the club discussed any similarities between the 2018 squad and the 2014 team that won the SLC Tourney when it was played in Natchitoches?

Drake:  You were able to play with a group from Athletes in Action in Brazil.  How did that opportunity come about and describe how that experience added to your skill set.

Drake:  You got to play in front of family at a recent tournament in Tulsa.  Was that scheduled specifically for you and were there friends and family there that don't ordinarily get to see you play?

Both:  Who on the Demon squad is:

• the team comedian?
• the bookworm?
• the most spaced out and aloof?
• the best dancer?
• does the best imitation of Coach Kiracofe?

-----END INTERVIEW-----

The loose plan as of now is to make the next two videos in the series focused on new Incarnate Word head coach Samantha Dabbs (SFA goes to UIW on October 11) and then I am really hoping to interview senior MB Kaitlyn Grice of New Orleans when they come to Nacogdoches on October 18.