The Role Player: Four Valuable Examples in the Middle

As I have seen more and more teams complete, from all levels and areas of the state, one thing dawned on me recently, that the attention to role players needs to increase. The one element of volleyball that I love the most is that it is the ultimate team sport in that it is really difficult for teams to win on the shoulders of just a couple of athletes. It is easy for conversation and media attention to gravitate towards and emphasize the athletes that rate high on the athlete rankings lists, that offer high performance production, or that are just memorable because of their power or athleticism. But what about those athletes and teammates around these key performers? The ones responsible for the work that doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet or the highlights? The ones that do so much more than fill space on the court but rarely are recognized for their effort, the balance they create, or the contributions they make when their star teammates are in a slump? I’m a firm believer that successful teams are successful more often or at a higher rate because of the role player that grinds, is unselfish, and arrives to the gym intentional to be a great team player. In my observations the past couple of weeks I have identified several role players that make great contributions for their teams but maybe are a bit overshadowed by some teammates. Perhaps undervalued, the following collection of middle hitters deserve the opportunity to be recognized more given their roles as members of some of the state’s best teams. [player_tooltip player_id="58041" first="Chessa" last="Devine"] - 2021 | MH | New Prague Not the primary "go to" offensively given the arms and power on the pins but Devine contributes well in other ways. She leads the Trojans in total blocks and can disrupt opponents with her length and pursuit of the ball on the defensive side at the net. At 6’1, she has good mobility and could command the ball more offensively to help create more space for New Prague’s pin attackers to do their thing more efficiently. Devine is a key contributor for a Trojans team that has great potential to do some damage in the post-season. They are currently receiving votes in the class AAA poll after some earlier time in the top 10 following some high quality wins. [player_tooltip player_id="84909" first="Sylvia" last="Koenig"] - 2021 | MH | Northfield Currently undefeated and ranked #2 in class AAA, Northfield has all the tools to make a championship run and recently sent a big message across the state upon winning the very competitive Southwest Minnesota Challenge. With great pin attackers, good size and distribution at the setting position, and one of the best liberos around, Koenig may be a bit overshadowed although she is a key contributor to Northfield’s depth and offensive attack. The 6’1 junior middle is effective from multiple attack locations around the setter and is proving herself to be a very dynamic point scorer off of one foot overhead. She has a fast arm and is hitting at a good efficiency rate. Combined with the fact she leads Northfield in total blocks, she is a dual threat on both sides of the ball with her vision and ability to seal the net well. In recent wins over then #7 Prior Lake and Farmington she terminated nine kills on a .360 attack percentage and 12 kills on a .625 clip respectively. [player_tooltip player_id="71665" first="Hannah" last="Prasky"] - 2020 | MH | Champlin Park When you’re team is the defending class AAA champion, there undoubtedly is a big target on your back when the following season gets underway. Champlin Park has experienced some highs and lows early in this 2019 campaign but remain in the current poll at #8 in spite of a 7-6 overall record. As part of the core group of key carryovers from the Rebels’ 2018 title run, Prasky has been increasingly working her way into a more vital role at the net this year especially given the departure of some very reliable and productive arms to graduation. At 6’0, she displays a very blue collar mentality in her work to be available as an attacker and can reward her own effort and teammates with some of the most thunderous kills. Prasky’s contributions come by way of great effort and power combined with good vision and ability to move the ball around. This combination of power and precision can make for a difficult read for opposing defenses on the other side. Champlin Park next takes on a good Centennial team and it will be an added benefit to their production and success going forward if they can get Prasky more opportunities as the majority of their offensive relies on just two arms. [player_tooltip player_id="71952" first="Jolie" last="Stecher"] - 2021 | MH | Stewartville The 6’0 Stecher is a key reason why Stewartville remains one of the favorites in class AA this season and currently are the #1 team in the state rankings with a 9-1 overall record. The athleticism and attention among her teammates is legitimate and Stecher should absolutely be part of that dialogue as well given her ability to succeed in multiple facets of the game for the Tigers. She is one of two middles that often plays six rotations and is relied upon to serve receive pass and play defense, which is uncommon for most in that position. Athletic in her own right, Stecher gets off the floor fast and can attack effectively on the pins and the back row, which complements well her power and range from the middle in front and behind the setter. Her versatility is showcased in her ability to hit all attack points on the net and through a variety of tempos and even more so in her court savviness and awareness to earn an off-speed kill when needed.