Coming into this season, the biggest hole to fill in the rotation was Middle Blocker. We graduated Amelia Moore and Lindsey Winner. Moore was a 6-year starter compliments of COVID and an early injury in her freshman year that resulted in a redshirt. She had multiple years of post-season A10 awards before her career was over. She is currently playing professionally in the South of France for BÉZIERS ANGELS. There are links at the end of this article if you want to follow her team.

Lindsey Winner was one of the most powerful backup players for the Flyers in her time at UD. The Ohio native was a stellar blocking specialist early in her career and would sub in at the end of sets to put up a block and force a side out in close sets. She did that very, very well. Along the way she also developed her overall game and forced her way into the rotation. Last year the Flyers used a 3-player MB rotation. It was a “committee” of MBs. The two primary MBs were Moore and Lanye Yates, but Winner would start mid-match sets for one or the other. The committee approach was very effective as each MB brought different skill sets to the position.

After the first weekend of play this season, it appears all is well in the middle for the #22 ranked Flyers. Two matches are not even close to a season of play, but dang our MBs looked really good last weekend. FIU didn’t put up a big fight, but UNI was a NCAA “Tournament-Quality” match that went 5 sets and together the small sample size is a pretty good indication of what’s to come. It appears UD will again use a 3-MB strategy with Yates, Junior Liana Sarkissian and Grad Transfer Alia Williams. I asked Assistant Coach Timothy Balice about the strengths of each.

“Laney has worked hard to become a more complete blocker and attacker,” he said. “Her length blocking at the net can impact the match in a big way.”

Balice said one of the advantages of playing three MBs is the different skills each brings to the game which causes problems for an opponent as they game plan to stop the Flyers. Volleyball is a game of pace and rhythm. Bringing in a different tempo player is hard for the opponent’s defense as they have to re-figure out how to set their own block and backrow defense to stop an attack by the new player. They also have to adjust their sets to avoid a different tempo block on our side of the net.

“Offensively, all three of our Middle attackers hit slightly different tempos which allows each of them to compliment each other,” Balice continued.  “Laney favors a higher ball.”

At 6’6” Yates joins alumni Lindsay Fletmeier as the tallest player to wear the Flyer uniform. At 6’4”, junior Liana Sarkissian is also an imposing player at the net. This year she is back at her natural MB position.

“Liana played opposite for us last season and did great for us there” Balice noted. “This past spring we moved her back to the middle, a position she played in high school and club, and she has made major strides in being someone who can score and block with the best in the country. Her volleyball IQ is one of her strengths as well as her arm speed. She can score from every net-zone and will take a large offensive load for us.”

Sarkissian took 29 swings this past weekend, the most of any MB. She hit at a .448 clip – which is excellent – but “only” good enough for 3rd  among our MBs as Williams hit .538 and Yates .500. When was the last time we had three MBs terminating at this rate? Never. And I must stop and point out, to set your MBs successfully, you have to pass well so your setter can deliver the ball inside or out to the right on the slide. Otherwise the setter has to send the ball to the left OHs. So hats off to the backrow players for doing their job well.

And this brings us to Williams, who is the Grad Transfer from LSU. She is the shortest MB at 6’1” but is the quickest. You don’t have to be tall to put up a big block or to score from the middle if you are quick.

“Alia rounds out this three-headed hydra in all facets,” Balice explained. “She is without a doubt one of the quickest middles we’ve had in several years. She has the ability to get off the deck fast and hit with heat and range.

“Her maturity and athleticism has really allowed her to step in and give us an instant upgrade in our offensive transition game.  She also is a really good server and can defend her back court position well.”

So our shortest, but quickest MB, had the highest hitting percentage (.538), the highest blocks per set average (1.40) and averaged 1 dig per set over 5 sets played this past weekend. An MB with one dig per set is hard to find. It’s maybe her most impressive stat for the weekend.

But, as a team, it was our block that stood out from the first weekend. If you go back and look at year-end stats for this program, traditionally you want your two MBs to average more than 1.0 block per set. That’s achieved about 60% of the time. Many years one MB is over that threshold and the 2nd is just under it. Last year with three MBs, they averaged 1.25, 0.93 and 0.92. Dayton finished ranked 69th in the nation for Team Blocks per Set at 2.35/set.

This year (small sample size of 8 sets) we sit ranked at #25 in the NCAA at 2.94 Blk/Set. It’s hard to finish with two players averaging over 1.0 Blk/set. We currently have FIVE. Williams (1.40), Sarkissian (1.29), Yates (1.20), OPP Brooke Smith (1.13),  and S Alyssa Miller (1.00). Watch our block this season. It could be special.

There is a long way to go, but the biggest off-season hole to fill might actually be an upgrade over last season’s three-headed hydra in the middle.

Additional Challenge Review System (CRS) Info:  UD purchased an ECHO system.  The coaches have pushed for this addition for several years, but with COVID the athletic department had to manage a major financial expenditure accordingly.

Balice said ECHO is built specifically for volleyball but has been used for other sports as well (baseball, softball, soccer, and football).

“We have been using it in practice to become comfortable with it,” he said.  “Main take-a-ways from the first weekend are that it is a helpful tool both teams can take advantage of in regard to ‘getting it right’.  The officials’ feedback has been positive.”

UD is also planning to integrate the system capabilities to enhance the fan experience at the Frericks Center.

“From a sports communication and game day operations side I think we will continue to evolve how we can improve the fan experience with video board replays and PA announcer updates,” Balice shared.

As an additional note, coming out of a challenge review, as a fan you can get a heads up which team is going to win the review by watching the R2 (2nd referee). They will go to the losing team’s side of the net to then arm-signal to the winning team’s side. So if UD is going to win the review, the ref will be standing on our opponent’s side of the net. 

Amelia Moore’s Professional Volleyball Team Links:

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