Volleyball 101 Review

LBSU freshman Sarah Clause digging a ball during Volleyball 101.

Long Beach State kicked off the 2009 volleyball season with “Volleyball 101“.  This event was implemented to give fans a sneak peak at this season’s team, and to provide some insight into the nuts and bolts of the game itself.  Based on the fan turn out and their responses afterward, the event was both enjoyable and informative, signaling that this event was a great success.

The first two hours of the three hour session was a routine volleyball practice.  Head coach Brian Gimmillaro ran drills that encompassed every aspect of the game.  The first thing that you notice is how detail orientated practices are, and how each player’s movement is broken down into micro movements.  You could tell that the “rookies” were learning a lot from this type of training; and in fact, maybe relearning the game of volleyball all over again.  It was quite impressive seeing individual players dramatically improving in just one training session.

The last one hour segment was a traditional “A side B side” scrimmage; however, this time around, the head coach had a mic and was explaining to the audience how and why things were being done, the way they were being done.  He further explained that the court was broken down into sub categories, both horizontally and vertically, and how each player was assigned a specific section on the court.  He stressed that each player’s section was their responsibility, and how their teammates needed to trust them to cover their assignments.  The head coach went on to critique the scrimmage while providing insight on each player’s development, expectations, and how their role impacted the overall game.

Volleyball 101 concluded with Gimmillaro introducing each member of his staff and team.  He gave a brief bio, and then invited fans down onto the curt to meet the team.

All-American Naomi Washington waves to the crowd during volleyball 101.

Some things that stood out:

• Practices are extremely organized, and above all things, geared towards player development.  I have attended some other local college practices, and they are more scrimmage based relying on player’s skills already brought to the table.

• Gimmillaro consistently preached that players needed to trust each other, and that this bond could be easily broken by missing assignments.

• The new coaches seem to be more vocal when compared to prior years.

• I was surprised at how well Ashley Lee ran the team this early on.  She definitely needs to improve, as pointed out by the coaching staff, but she looked pretty good for a first time college setter.  She also was very vocal complimenting her hitters when they performed well.

• You could tell that the team will rely heavily on both Naomi Washington and Caitlin Ledoux for points early on, but I was pleasantly surprised on how well Jocelyn Neely looked at right-side.  Neely might turnout to be the surprise player this season.

• The team is very thin in the middle, and their success might hinge on Michelle Osunbor’s development.  She already appears to be a fine blocker and is working very hard on her offensive skill-set.

• A player that also caught my eye was Libby Fontanilla.  She looks to be a solid all around player, and it would not surprise me if she saw playing time as a freshman.

• The team appears to be loaded in the back row from both a numbers and talent perspective.  Lauren Minkel, returning defensive specialist, appears to have the inside track on winning the starting libero job.  However, strong competition may come from Laura Schuck and Gabby Pulig.