Spring Break
VOLLEYBALL NOTEBOOK: A defensive lineup change
by Melissa Siegel
Staff writer
Sports | 10/9/07
Posted online at 9:55 PM EST on 10/8/07
/ Last updated at 7:59 PM EST on 10/8/07
After the volleyball team returned every starter from last season's East Coast Athletic Conference championship squad, coach Michelle Kim couldn't be blamed for not wanting to tinker with a good thing.
But instead of staying put, Kim made a lineup switch. She moved fellow captain Violette Ruggiero '09, last season's starting setter, to libero upon her return from an ankle injury Sept. 15, replacing defensive mainstay Shannon Trees '08. The move cleared the way for rookie Abby Blasco '11 to take over Ruggiero's starting setter spot, and she has shined in that role.
The Judges are 11-3 since the switch, and their entire lineup has thrived. Blasco leads the team with an average of 10.3 assists per game, while Ruggiero leads the team in digs per match with 13.7 and digs per game with 3.9. Even Trees herself said the move appears to be working out.
"I think it was a good decision," she said. "I think everyone's adjusted really well, and I think we're playing really well as a team."
Kim made the move because Ruggiero was already a strong defender as a setter and would succeed as a libero, a more defensive position.
"[Blasco] does a good job distributing the ball and doing the setting job, and [Ruggiero] does a good job playing defense, so it wasn't really that hard of a decision," Kim said. "Even if you are a setter, you still have to play defense."
But instead of staying put, Kim made a lineup switch. She moved fellow captain Violette Ruggiero '09, last season's starting setter, to libero upon her return from an ankle injury Sept. 15, replacing defensive mainstay Shannon Trees '08. The move cleared the way for rookie Abby Blasco '11 to take over Ruggiero's starting setter spot, and she has shined in that role.
The Judges are 11-3 since the switch, and their entire lineup has thrived. Blasco leads the team with an average of 10.3 assists per game, while Ruggiero leads the team in digs per match with 13.7 and digs per game with 3.9. Even Trees herself said the move appears to be working out.
"I think it was a good decision," she said. "I think everyone's adjusted really well, and I think we're playing really well as a team."
Kim made the move because Ruggiero was already a strong defender as a setter and would succeed as a libero, a more defensive position.
"[Blasco] does a good job distributing the ball and doing the setting job, and [Ruggiero] does a good job playing defense, so it wasn't really that hard of a decision," Kim said. "Even if you are a setter, you still have to play defense."
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