The common theme for the Idaho volleyball team is change. Players have been injured, graduated or transferred. As a result of these transitions, the Vandals have 11 underclassmen on the roster this season and only one senior, defensive specialist Terra Varney.
This volleyball offseason has been a captivating transition from having solid core players, like Jenna Ellis and Katelyn Peterson, to a group of people finding their place on the roster.
The Vandals have great players that have a lot to prove and are hungry to achieve their goals. Last year, the Vandals ended up 10-6 in the Big Sky Conference and won the North Division to earn the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Things looked bright when Idaho defeated North Dakota in five sets Nov. 19, its first Big Sky Tournament win since 1995.
But a semifinal exit against Idaho State Nov. 20 dashed their hopes of winning the conference title. Like other teams, the Vandals had to move on from the stinging loss to become stronger as a team.
As I look at the roster, I look at players like junior middle blocker Torri Crawford, one of the five upperclassmen on the team who stepped up last season.
Crawford was one of the more consistent blockers on the roster, who totaled 105 kills in 19 games. In addition to her kills, the Walla Walla native finished second in the conference with a 0.32 hitting percentage behind Northern Colorado’s Timarie Nymeyer with 0.324.
Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said she’s one of the players that has yet to showcase her true potential. However, a midseason injury last season put a damper on Crawford’s impact.
I’m wondering if Crawford can stay healthy. If she does, I see Crawford flourishing in her blocking game. She ranked sixth with an average of 1.07 blocks per set.
But Crawford isn’t alone, outside hitters junior Becca Mau and sophomore Sarah Sharp also had breakthroughs last year.
Those two seem to go hand in hand when it comes to having a solid night on the court, earning a combined 462 kills.
But like Crawford, injuries affected Mau’s 2015 campaign. Some nights, she’s unstoppable, scoring among the top three hitters and other nights her hitting percentage isn’t quite there. So it’ll be interesting to see how a healthy Mau can do in the long run. Especially in the final stretch of the season where Idaho will be battling for one of the top tournament seeds.
But if Mau’s 244 kills say anything, she’s one hitter to keep an eye on.
Sharp, on the other hand, has been progressing and ended the season third in kills. Not only Sharp is a solid hitter, she’s also a dark horse in blocking.
Idaho’s leading blocker Laine Waters is no longer with the team, therefore I think Sharp is likely to fill the gap for Waters. Sharp had 66 blocks last year, trailing Crawford with 72 and sophomore middle blocker DeVonne Ryter with 67.
Ryter and Varney have grown as individuals and I expect to see their best performances this year.
Buchanan said Varney is playing her best volleyball while Ryter has matured as a player.
It will be fun to see
how they’ve become standouts on and off the court.
Let’s not forget, this is still a young team with a couple of years of eligibility left.
Individual elements are crucial in an intense sport like volleyball, where excellence stems from a strong team bond.
Health and playing consistency are the two elements that can prevent them from standing out in the Big Sky Conference.
For now, it’s a matter of seeing how they’ll do in their tournaments before understanding what kind of team the Vandals are going to be this season.
The Vandals will look different from last year in their first tournament this weekend, but spectators can expect to see huge progress throughout the season.
Luis Torres can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @TheLTFiles