Women’s volleyball adapts approach, makes offense the new defense
Last year, Taylor Formico was surrounded by two elite defensive specialists that she called her best friends. This year, the senior libero is the only purely defensive player on the court as part of the new 6-2 rotation. (Matt Cummings/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Melissa Zhang
Oct. 3, 2016 10:46 p.m.
In the early stages of its season, UCLA women’s volleyball has been forced to adapt based on one important change – its defense is no longer its primary strength.
“In the past we could just rely on our passing,” said sophomore opposite Zana Muno. “Now we have to expect more from each individual.”
With four conference games under their belt, some striking differences between this year’s and last year’s squad have become clear for the No. 18 Bruins (11-3, 2-2 Pac-12).
The loss of senior defensive specialists Karly Drolson and Rachel Inouye have placed a heavier defensive burden on senior libero Taylor Formico and forced coach Michael Sealy to entirely re-align his team.
“Rachel and Karly, they were so big for us,” Formico said. “It was like having three liberos on the court at all times.”
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The vulnerability in the Bruins’ defense was exposed in Sunday’s four-set loss to No. 19 Colorado (10-4, 2-2 Pac-12), with Buffalo hitters consistently finding open court on routine swings.
Formico has had to take on a major leadership role in the defensive realm this year without a pair of core defensive specialists by her side. As the only player who Sealy named as a starter in the preseason, the senior has 100 more digs than anyone else on the team.
“Taylor is doing such a good job. She always has so much fire and I think the whole team looks to her,” Muno said. “Although we did lose some passers and our passing is not as strong as last year’s, we’re making up for it in other areas.”
One of these areas could be the offensive talent and experience on this year’s squad. Muno’s transition from starting setter last season to right-side hitter this season reflects Sealy’s focus on attacking this year.
After the departure of Drolson and Inouye, Sealy has opted for a formation that doesn’t utilize a single defensive specialist, moving from a 5-1 to a 6-2.
Right side attackers like Muno and freshman Torrey Van Winden have been effective up at the net, tallying nine and 10 kills respectively against Colorado. The attack is scoring more points than it ever did before, Muno said.
But the offense failed to deliver on Sunday. With a hitting percentage of .199, the Bruins weren’t able to execute where they needed it most, prompting Sealy to switch up the personnel in the middle.
Both sophomore middle hitter Kyra Rogers and freshman middle blocker Madeleine Gates started set four against Colorado, stepping in for senior middle blockers Jennie Frager and Claire Felix.
“We wanted to give them something different, a different pace, because Kyra can attack faster than all the other middles,” Sealy said. “It was an opportunity to just give our offense a jump start.”
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The personnel and formation used throughout the 2015 season was all about defense. This year the Bruins have lost that personnel, and have geared their formation to maximize offense.
“Even though you only lose a couple players from last year, they were of vital importance,” Sealy said. “So it’s almost a whole new identity.”
