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FHSU coach finds a libero replacement
9/2/2009
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
Starting libero Katelyn Lapham left the Fort Hays State University volleyball team less than a week before the Tigers opened the season last Friday. Initially, first-year head coach Kurt Kohler had multiple options to replace Lapham.
At the University of Nebraska-Kearney tournament, Kohler found a libero in 5-foot-8 sophomore Tracie Hileman, formerly an outside hitter. Hileman collected a team-best 54 digs and played libero the final match and a half.
"Personally, I feel like she could be an All-American as a libero," Kohler said. "As a 5-8 outside hitter, she is probably not going to ever reach that point. There are some great outside hitters in this country at the Division II level. I think, for her benefit, she has a better opportunity at being successful as a libero. What's best for our team at this point is stepping up our defense and I do feel like she gave us the best opportunity to win."
In addition, Kohler made several other personnel changes and saw multiple areas of improvement for Fort Hays. The Tigers, 9-25 last season, ran their losing streak to 18 matches after an 0-4 start. Hileman said Fort Hays showed "glimpses of really good volleyball" while Kohler said the Tigers played "two poor matches and two very good matches."
"Starting out with that many losses is really kind of a slap in the face and it wakes you up a little bit," Hileman said. "You are kind of like, it's time to go, it's time to get after it. It starts another rush of excitement to just win."
The Tigers hit just .078 as a team and committed 8.15 errors a set, a higher average than their Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association-worst 7.07 errors per set in 2008.
"We did make some good choices, but there were a lot of plays -- I think the word would be soft -- when we didn't go up aggressively and take a swing," Kohler said.
"I don't feel like we were clicking very well last weekend," sophomore Lindsey Larson said. "I feel like we have been clicking well in practice and that is just going to come with time. I think we can just keep improving on it. Right now, that is one of our issues."
The Tigers won just one set and finished 1-5 in sets decided by four points or fewer, a problem that occurred last season, too. Fort Hays, paced led by a new front line, improved its blocking and had several Tigers play well, including junior Amber Hockman, Hileman and senior defensive specialist Ellen Dreyer.
At the team's annual scrimmage nine days ago, Lapham had just left the team and Kohler shuffled through liberos. Hileman, who started at outside hitter in 2008 and hit a team-low .035, played libero in the final set. It marked the first time the Tonganoxie native had played libero at any level.
"That was the first time I considered being a libero because I really hadn't before because I didn't think I was that good," she said. "It's kind of reassuring because I do feel more confident passing compared to hitting. I do feel like I can hit but I need a little bit of work."
Dreyer, a little-used reserve last fall, started at libero at the UNK tournament and played well the first two matches. Hileman remained on the outside. In the third match, Bemidji (Minn.) State University took a 2-0 lead.
"They were throwing some different stuff at us and I think she started overthinking the game a little bit," Kohler said. "But she still did a nice job of it."
In the third set, Kohler moved Hileman, who hit negative-.025 in the tournament, to libero. Hileman finished with a team-high 14 digs. In the final match against No. 6-ranked Kearney, Hileman added a team-best 12 digs. She finished with a team-best 4.15 digs per game, while Dreyer had 2.91. Kohler labeled Hileman's libero play "exceptional."
"She is a good passer, a good defensive player and she brings that attitude that we need in a libero position," he said.
This weekend, Fort Hays travels to the Eastern New Mexico tournament and faces four teams with 0-4 marks. Kohler will keep Hileman at libero and likely not move her. It's a place Hileman enjoys.
"I like libero," she said. "It's kind of a compliment to be a libero, but if I am going to play, I really want to hone in on that position and really focus on it and get good at it because I still feel like I have weak skills at the libero position."
Kohler will move Dreyer to defensive specialist and will start freshman Morgan Witzel, the conference's 2009 high jump champion, on the outside in Hileman's place. Junior Brandi Bertrand is expected to play more, too.
The team did have several weaknesses, including performance late in sets and offensive production, two areas Kohler addressed in Tuesday's practice. Against Newman and Rockhurst (Mo.) University, the team's two worst matches, Fort Hays went 1-4 in close sets.
"I think one of the reasons why we break down in a close set is because we overanalyze, we overthink and we tense up," Hileman said. "I think if we just relax and play our game and just do what we do in practice and feel good about it, then we could finish those games easy and shut the other team down."
Kohler wants his players to be more aggressive and smarter. The coach called his team "a lot of nice kids."
"I just want our kids to be real hard-headed, tough kids," he said. "That is something that we are going to have to overcome."
Fort Hays, similar to 2008, had offensive trouble throughout the tournament. Sometimes the team made poor choices on attacks. In Tuesday's practice, Kohler would sometimes stop practice and calmly ask a player why she hit a certain shot.
"I think that coach emphasizes the understanding of the game," Hileman said. "You do things for a reason before it is going to win the point. He really hones in on making sure you know what you are doing, you know why you are doing it and there is a productive reason why you are doing it."
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| 2/18 | SW Baptist | L 66-53 | |
| 12/1 | Oklahoma - Panhandle | L 66-60 (OT) | |