Season Preview: Outside Hitters
August 24, 2011 | Volleyball
Aug. 24, 2011
» No. 7 Washington Opens 2011 In Long Beach
SEATTLE - It is no secret that the position with the most intrigue for the Huskies this year is the outside hitter spot. The outsides get the highlights, the exclamation points, the big jumps and the big swings. In the rock band of volleyball, the outsides take the lead vocals.
Washington lost an All-American outside hitter at each pin last season, as Becky Perry and Kindra Carlson saw their outstanding careers come to a close in the Elite Eight. Both earned a spot on the AVCA All-America Second Team and were All-Pac-10 selections, sharing the load with Perry on the left and Carlson on the right.
The Huskies then signed two of the elite high school outside hitters in the nation, so problem solved, right? It probably won't be so simple, but in replacing two great players at such a key position, the UW coaching staff could not have asked for a better start than what they have in newcomers Krista Vansant and Summer Ross.
But it certainly won't be a two woman show. Kylin Muñoz, a junior but entering just her second full season, started regularly last year as the number three option. Sophomore Gabbi Parker also subbed in last year whenever UW needed a boost. And Kaleigh Nelson, a grayshirt freshman, has shown great athleticism and firepower in practice that could make her the surprise of the bunch. The Huskies are young, that cannot be argued, but they also have undeniable talent.
"Obviously this is a very key position and we might be a little younger at this position than we have been in the past," admitted Head Coach Jim McLaughlin. "However, I've been really pleased with the improvement that they've made thus far, but it's just going to be an ongoing development."
Vansant is certainly the most heralded recruit in McLaughlin's ten year tenure. The Redlands, California native was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year last season, and was tabbed the number one senior in the country by Volleyball Magazine, PrepVolleyball.com, and ESPN Rise. In July, Vansant attended the ESPY Awards in L.A. as part of her Gatorade honor, then flew out at 6 a.m. the next morning and was playing in the Husky Volleyball Camp that afternoon, putting the accolades from her prep career behind her to get right back in the gym.
"There's been so much put on her in terms of expectations, and it would be easy for her to react to that, but she's been able to handle it because of the person she is," says McLaughlin. "She's a very good young player, and she's got good values in place. She was coached well in high school by her mom and dad.
Any type of expectations placed on Vansant "just means she's good, but we want her to be great at the college level," says McLaughlin. "So she's tapped in to that. She's making progress every day. Krista is a very nice learner; she's able to understand things and get to work. She is awfully competitive. She's a perfectionist and she can be very hard on herself, which is okay, if you understand that you're making progress day to day. If she can stay on that path of improvement, the sky is the limit. She'll do what she wants in volleyball."
While Vansant was the consensus player of the year indoors in 2010, Summer Ross left absolutely no question that she was the best high school player on the beach. Make that, the best in the world, as the Carlsbad, Calif. native consecutively won the World Youth Beach Championships for 19-and-under athletes, and then proceeded to win the World Junior Beach Championships for 21-and-under, all at the age of seventeen. She and her two different partners were the first Americans to take gold at either event, and she became the first junior aged player to be named USA Beach Volleyball Player of the Year.
With only two players per side on the beach, it goes without saying that a great beach player will have good all-around skills, and that looks to be the case with Ross, who has impressive ball control and shot selection for a freshman. The question will be if she can become as comfortable on the hardwood as on the sand.
"Summer is a very unique kid, a special kid in many ways. She's a really good girl," McLaughlin says. "Summer has a very complete skill set, and she has no fear. She loves to be in a competitive environment, yet she knows how to turn it off and on. For a player her age she is very mature. She's improving and where some kids only play to their strengths, she is not afraid to focus on a weakness."
One difference between indoor and beach is that indoors, an outside hitter must gain greater momentum towards the ball and soar in for their swing, but McLaughlin says Ross is adapting. "She's learning how to make the improvements in her game, and she's making the changes we want her to make. She's attempting to do everything we ask her. She has a feel for the game that most high school kids don't have."
Muñoz brings the most match experience to the group, even with only one full season under her belt. Last year was a typical up and down first season for the Monroe native, with some strong stretches of play including six matches of six or more kills and a .300 hitting percentage, but some struggles to find the floor as well. McLaughlin says that players typically make the most improvement between first and second years, and that holds true in the case of Muñoz, who is a junior but has only played one year after sitting out in 2009.
"She's more complete in her game. I think we're just starting to scratch the surface with her. She possesses all the values you want in a person. Whatever we ask her to do, she'll make every attempt to do it the way we want it done. She takes everything very seriously. I have a very high level of confidence in her," says McLaughlin, adding that Muñoz is gaining confidence as well. "As you become more confident, you can take more chances, you have more aggression, and you can control it."
Also making consistent progress from her first season to her second is Parker from Eugene, Oregon. She saw action in 29 sets as a freshman, and had a pair of kills in marquee Pac-10 matches with USC and Cal. Stronger in all facets of her game, Parker's jump serve has looked impressive in practice, and now the challenge will be carrying it over into matches consistently.
McLaughlin says the key when you reach an elite level comes down to "do your thoughts serve you well? And your thoughts are very important in your ability to develop. She's made progress. She's got a great arm, her jump is getting better. Now, can she think the right thoughts all the time or does she go in these dimensions of improvement where they slow down her progress? I've seen improvement, and she's a fighter so she's got to stay in the battle, and she will compete throughout the season. So she's got a chance, but the key is allowing herself to improve each day."
Nelson, out of Salem, Oregon, joined the squad last winter quarter and trained through the spring season, and had a very good spring according to her coach. Compared to her two freshmen teammates, Nelson was more under the radar, but she could play a big role this season as already one of the biggest hitters on the squad.
"Physically she's got the tools. Her ability to pass will determine whether she's on the floor a lot," says McLaughlin. "She's another competitive girl that will do everything we ask. She's learning how to use her mind, and control her thoughts, which allows for greater improvement, so I'm excited about her potential. What's really important to me is she just have consistent improvement day-to-day; that's vital for her. And that she's making good choices every day; if she does that, then she's got a chance to be a big-time contributor in this program."
So a lot will ride this season on some new faces, and while there are certainly going to be growing pains, the Huskies are hoping that youth will be served in the end.
"We're young in terms of experience at a key position, looking at matches played at this level," McLaughlin says, "but I'm not worried about that because you get the talent and then you get the experience, and we're doing that at practice every day."
