Diggin' Defense
February 03, 2004 | Volleyball
by Mike Bruscas
Success in volleyball starts from the ground up
The sets and spikes might receive the most attention, but the foundation of a good offense comes from its digs and passes.
"Passing is the most important part of the game," says Husky senior Libba Lawrence. "Most people don't realize it because they only see the kills. Passing is really difficult. We have to be focused the entire time because if you don't make a pass, you don't score. It sets up everything else."
A native of West Linn, Ore., Libba Lawrence plays - naturally - the "libero" position. Her name and position has a flow to it matched only by her defense.
Lawrence saw action in 31 matches last season, racking up 133 digs and 21 assists, the latter ranking third on the team. The Huskies will need that same level of production if they hope to make a return trip to the NCAAs. After reversing a streak of four straight losing seasons to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, the Huskies have earned a measure of respect.
"We're starting to scare people now," Lawrence says with pride.
In the third season under head coach Jim McLaughlin, the Huskies must now prove that their success was the result of a system that can be replicated year after year. The team has set its sights even higher in 2003, despite losing first team All-American outside hitter Paige Benjamin and first team All-Pac-10 setter Gretchen Maurer.
"Even though we lost great players like Paige and Gretch, we have a lot of returners and we had a good recruiting class," Lawrence points out. "Our coaches set the expectations higher this year since we made the tournament, which is good because we have the potential to meet them."
Early indications are that Lawrence is correct. Washington's record stood at 11-0 as of Sept. 22, the best start in school history. The Huskies know, though, that dominating non-conference foes won't count for much in the loaded Pac-10 Conference, which boasts defending national champion USC as well as NCAA runner-up Stanford. No matter, says Lawrence - to be considered among the best teams in the nation, you eventually have to go through the best.
"We want to finish in the top three in the Pac-10 and of course make the NCAA Tournament again," she says. "I think we'll just take it from there. I for sure want to end on a high note."
Coming out of high school, Lawrence felt a strong family pull towards Stanford, where her sister Emily had won a national championship. However, Lawrence chose to oppose her sister rather than complement her on the Cardinal court.
"I can remember my freshman year when we played them for the first time and we were both in at the same time," she says. "I'd smile at her across the net. I think she got kind of mad."
As if the transition from high school to the collegiate level wasn't difficult enough, a coaching change following her freshman season forced Lawrence to learn a brand new system.
While the team saw significant improvement in its first year under Jim McLaughlin, the change was initally difficult for Lawrence, who saw her playing time decreased.
"It was tough, especially for me," she says. "It took me a while to get with the program. Now I realize that this system has made me a better player - really, I don't see how we even did it my freshman year without his system."
Although Lawrence's position sounds glamorous, a libero is all about defense. Lawrence rotates in on the back line for a front-court player and thus rarely, if ever, records kills, the "it" stat of volleyball.
"Because I am so short, I haven't hit the ball since I was 14 years old," Lawrence laughs. "A dig is better for me, because if you dig a hard-hit ball from (former Stanford star) Logan Tom or someone, it feels 10 times better than spiking a ball."
The positive vibe surrounding the program, coupled with early-season success for the Dawgs, has instilled a cheerful optimism in Lawrence even under the weight of expectations and four hard years of sport and study. She is most grateful that she is still "able to come and be happy," which she knows isn't always the case.
"I know a lot of people who in their fourth year just can't wait for it to be done," she says. "I'm still excited for the season to start. I'm just lucky, I guess."
Libba Lawrence, lucky libero.
