2018 SLC Interviews: Kaitlyn Grice of UNO

I filmed this interview with UNO middle blocker Kaitlyn Grice back when the Privateers came to Nacogdoches, but this was right at the time when SFA was really starting to stretch its winning streak out and other stories were beginning to develop for our club.  So, knowing that we were going to play UNO again, I've saved the interview for this week.  Here is the link where you can watch my 15-minute conversation with Kaitlyn Grice.

Grice is amazing to me.  She has consistently been among the attack percentage leaders and the block per set leaders in the conference over the past few years.  As of the filming of this interview she was 4th in the NCAA in total blocks.  Coming into action as of this writing, she is 7th with an astounding 147 total blocks.  There is little doubt in my mind that Grice is one of the most underrated players in the Southland.

Here is the question list for the interview, but make sure and hit the link above to watch the interview with one of the best blockers our conference has to offer.

1.  This is your senior year.  Have you embraced that it is the last year for college volleyball or tired to put that out of your mind?

2. Your mother played college volleyball.  What was it like to grow up in a house with such athletic talent?  When it became clear you were headed for college volleyball yourself, what advice did your Mom give you?

3. Describe the process of being recruited from Florida, where  you grew up, to play at the University of New Orleans?

4. What is the biggest difference being at UNO as compared to home?

5.  In 2015, your freshman year at UNO, the team had its best overall season in a long time and then suffered through a five win season a year later.  What changed and how did you deal with that mentally having such a team drop off?

6. Do you feel as though the last two years have rebuild to the point where UNO may be getting close to recovering the level of success during 2015?  Explain.

7. Many of your recent matches have been lost late in sets or in five sets.  UNO has had several leads it has not been able to hold.  Has this been focused on in practice and what has to improve in order to close out these tight sets and matches?

8. You have a difficult schedule at the end of conference play.  Has this been discussed in practices and how has the team reacted knowing that the schedule is back loaded?

9. What have you improved on the most as a blocker during your time at UNO?

10. What are the first skills that a young middle blocker needs to develop - say a young junior high girl first learning the position - in order to be successful?

11. Where in a middle blockers' development does the concept of being able to read setters and hitters begin to take hold?

12. What can you attribute your consistency to - especially in attack percentages, which have been particularly high.  What allows you to maintain such a high level of efficiency in attack?

13. What is your favorite shot/play to run?  Which shot/play have you had to work on the most during your time at UNO in order to improve?

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!