Ladyjack 2009 Preview: Setters
8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 12, 2009
Returning: Paloma Buckner, Laurel Kuepker
Newcomers: Allison Gideon
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - One of the deepest positions for SFA this year will come at setter with three players being able to quarterback the Ladyjack offense. However, SFA only returns 20 percent of its entire assist total from 2008, with senior Paloma Buckner's 127 assists being the top returning mark from a year ago.
SFA will likely use a combination of Buckner and Laurel Kuepker at the setting spot in 2009, with Buckner providing a size advantage at the net and Kuepker bringing a much-needed defensive presence to the back row after starting at libero in each of her first two seasons at SFA.
Buckner came in last season as one of two junior college transfers on the team - the first two such players that Debbie Humphreys has ever had on any of her teams in 21 years of coaching - and saw her playing time increase later in the season. Now, with a full year in SFA's system and with the Ladyjack coaching staff having some time to learn about her as a player as well, Humphreys has a newfound confidence in the senior from Illinois.
As for Kuepker, she earned honorable mention all-conference honors as a sophomore after leading the entire SLC in digs. Now she will move into a setting role, a position she played while at LaPorte High School in Indiana. Humphreys thinks the transition has gone smoothly during the spring and can see a number of positives that she will bring to the position, starting with a natural leadership quality that is a necessary trait for any floor general. Kuepker also brings quickness from her libero days to the back row after averaging 4.45 digs per set a year ago, which Humphreys knows will immediately be a defensive upgrade
The third option that the Ladyjacks will have is true freshman Allison Gideon from Vista Ridge High School in the Austin area. A lefty, Gideon brings tremendous upside with her legitimate size at 5-11. Playing time will depend greatly on how quickly she is able to pick up on the Ladyjack offensive schemes, but at the very least she will provide a solid third option for SFA at the position.
-SFA-
