SFA Volleyball 2012 Preview: Outside Hitters
8/13/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 13, 2012
OUTSIDE HITTERS
Returning: Leslie Jackson, Katzy Randall, Jill Ivy
Newcomers: Keeley Kainer, Sydney Ziober, Tori Bates
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - With a pair of two of the top young outside hitters in the Southland Conference as the centerpieces of its offense, the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack volleyball team has plenty of reason to be optimistic that 2012 could see SFA's offensive numbers see a definite increase from recent years.
The Ladyjacks had their fair share of offensive peaks in 2011, but with a pair of freshman outside hitters seeing the majority of the available floor time, they struggled to find a consistent and sustainable hand throughout the course of a long season; however, that is exactly a problem head coach Debbie Humphreys expects to be minimized with hitters Katzy Randall and Jill Ivy ready to embark upon their sophomore seasons.
Add in junior Leslie Jackson and a trio of freshmen, including Keeley Kainer and Tori Bates who each have the ability to see court time, and Humphreys knows she will have plenty of weapons to mix and match with this season on the edges.
"We really struggled last year to maintain the level of play we needed to be at the top of the conference, but that can be expected somewhat when you have freshmen in key places on the floor," Humphreys said. "But still, we saw plenty of glimpses of what Katzy and Jill were capable of last year and I expect to see that on a more consistent basis this year, which should help us out tremendously."
Early on in 2011 it was Randall who carried the load, posting a string of six of seven matches within the first three weeks of the season with at least 11 kills; however, an early-season injury slowed her down and she only produced three more matches with double-digit kills the remainder of the year.
Still, that did not slow her down defensively as she continued to play all six rotations for the majority of the year and picked up double-digit digs in 19 matches, finishing second on the team in that category and fourth in blocks.
She was flanked primarily by Ivy, who was solid early on in the year but really fell into place after being moved to the right side midway through the year. That move freed her up down the stretch as she finished second on the team with 2.45 kills per set, upping that mark to 2.88 per set in the final nine matches of the season.
"Jill and Katzy are two players, that if they play to their potential, can carry and offense," Humphreys said. "They've made some great strides in the off-season and I'm confident they are ready to step up and do that more consistently this season."
In addition to the two sophomores, Humphreys can also turn to junior Leslie Jackson, a 6-1 hitter who averaged 1.49 kills per set as a sophomore. Not only does Jackson provide an option for Humphreys on the edge, but she has also spent time in the middle in her first two years, so she also adds much-needed versatility to the roster.
"Leslie is just steady, and has been for two years now," Humphreys said. "She's a great leader when she's on the floor, and that is something that goes past the stat pages."
Three more freshmen - Kainer, Bates and Ziober - round out the group with Bates coming in with the possibility of filling in as a six-rotation player who should help SFA immediately at the net with her blocking skills. Kainer, who inked with SFA in November along with Bates, is a phenomenal athlete according to Humphreys and will also give the Ladyjacks options on both the outside and at the net.
Aug. 9 - Middle Blockers
Aug. 13 - Outside Hitters
Aug. 16 - Setters
Aug. 20 - Liberos/Defensive Specialists
-SFA-
