Libero sparks plenty of debate

To libero or not to libero.

The volleyball defensive position - added to the prep game for the first time this fall - has sparked a bit of a debate amongst local coaches.

"I love it," said Flathead head coach Christy Harkins.

The Flathead Bravettes opened the season last evening against Missoula Hellgate with Spencyr Schmaltz as their libero.

"For one, it involves one more kid," she said.

The libero, easily identified as the player wearing a different color uniform, gives coaches a lot more flexibility in terms of substitutions, Harkins said.

The libero can come in for any player in the back row at any time - without costing the team one of its limited substitutions.

If an athlete is struggling in serve receive, "we don't have to wait. I can sub the libero in and I'm not wasting a sub," Harkins said.

The only drawbacks are that the libero cannot serve - and defensive specialists often tend to be among a team's best servers. The libero is also not allowed to attack a ball above the plane of the net and, if forced into setting, the libero must set from behind the 10-foot line.

Flathead has named two players as potential liberos - Schmaltz, a 5-foot-5 senior and 5-8 senior Colleen Davis.

"I think you have to have the right kid to be able to do it well," Harkins said.

"Schmaltz is an amazing passer. What she brings to passing is phenomenal," she said.

Davis also passes well, but her ability in serving may mean she stays as a defensive specialist.

Up the road a bit, the jury is still out for defensive-minded Whitefish coach Jackie Fuller.

"I tried it.

"And I panicked," she said.

"It made my kids panic. If I need somebody in there, I will get them in there," she said.

"But I don't know yet."

But if need be, there are two or three Bulldogs she could put in that position, the coach said.

Meanwhile, she's going with defensive specialists Shalyn Aurand, Sabrya Martin and Kirsten Blackburn.

Whitefish is enjoying a rarety this year in high school sports.

The Bulldogs, 2004 Class A defending state champions, return nearly everyone. Whitefish graduated one senior - Katie Hodges.

"That's a big spot to fill," Fuller said.

"(Hodges) provided a lot of enthusiasm. She provided a lot of laughs. When the tension was there, she could always find a way to break the ice."

But "we do return everybody else."

That includes: Mandy McFadden, 5-8 senior setter; Tracy Schwada, 5-10 senior middle hitter, Jessie Conners, 5-6 senior outside hitter, Leah Powell, 5-10 senior outside hitter; Erin Greiner, 5-9 senior outside hitter; Courtney Ferda, 5-6 junior middle hitter, Kali Schmidt, 5-4 junior setter; Kaitlin O'Leary, 5-10 junior outside hitter and Ashley Ferda, 5-5 sophomore outside hitter.

McFadden was first team all-conference and all-state, Schwada and Ashley Ferda were second team all-conference.

"I'm just excited to be back with these girls," Fuller said. "There's absolutely no star on this team and they know it. At any given time, one of them is going to rise to an occasion.

"I feel so fortunate to have this group of girls with me. They're just so nice. They just take care of everything," the coach said.

"I'm just blessed to have them."

Some of the other schools who enjoyed volleyball success in 2004 don't quite have the luxury of the return of nearly a full team.

The Flathead Bravettes, Western AA regular season champions, graduated eight, while the Libby Loggers, who finished second in Western A a year ago, graduated five.

The Bravettes lost Sydni Gunlikson, Kelli Walterskirchen, Alena Ori, Lindsay Bennett, Katie Swindall, Laura Kelly, Brandi Boreson and Cricket Johnson.

Libby said goodbye to all-state selections Nicole Rowan and Erin Bothman and all-conference Crystal Decker, as well as Rose Young and Sara Hodel.

The good news for Flathead is the Bravettes do return two starters, including all-state outside hitter Holli Hashley.

Hashley, a 5-10 senior, "is a good all-around player on the court," said Harkins.

"She does a good job leading us."

Hashley, voted a team co-captain along with fellow senior Molly Anfenson, made her serve her main offseason work, as well as increasing her vertical leap and making her armswing more efficient.

The other returning starter is 6-2 senior middle hitter Kristina Ylinen.

Ylinen was all-conference a year ago.

"She's a competitor," the coach said.

"She wants to succeed and she wants to do well. She's worked on her backrow, so she can stay in a game longer and she's dedicated herself to working on her serve," Harkins said.

But the thing that may worry Bravette opponents most is Ylinen's hitting.

"She's swinging with confidence and she's swinging hard," Harkins said.

But after those two comes a long list of newcomers.

They include Anfenson, a 5-9 senior rightside hitter; Brianna Fenner, 5-8 outside hitter/defensive specialist, junior setters Lindsay Ingram, 5-8, and Chaeney Latimer, 5-5, middle hitter Chelsey Vaudt, a 6-0 junior, and 5-6 outside hitter Kendalyn Habel, a sophomore.

Harkins' picks for the top teams in Western AA are Butte and Helena Capital.

"Strong program. Really strong tradition," she said the Bulldogs.

"Capital also has great tradition. They have some dynamite players returning," the coach added.

. "Tiny and mighty."

That's how Libby volleyball coach Cindy Ostrem-Johnston described the Lady Loggers.

"We're not stacked with height," the coach said.

"But they're very competitive. They've been working hard, playing together well. We've got quite a bit of quickness out there and positive attitudes," she said.

"We're working on being more consistent, working on being smart at the net.

"We've got some power, but we're not going to be able to rely on that at the net. We're going to have to be smart and play outstanding defense."

The tallest Lady Logger is junior middle hitter Karen Byrns.

After Byrns, the height drops off quickly. Freshman middle hitter Christa Quinn is the next tallest at 5-8. She's followed by Shelby Barton, 5-7 sophomore setter, then three 5-6 athletes - outside hitter Sam Schultz, right side hitter Brooke Hageness and outside hitter Laice Dedrick.

Megan Wedel, 5-4 sophomore, will be Libby's libero.

Ostrem-Johnston got a good look at her team during last weekend's Tip-Off Tourney at Flathead High School.

"I was real pleased with how the girls competed. I thought the kids handled things pretty well.

"There's lots of things we need to work on, but I was pleased with where we started," Ostrem-Johnston said.

Ostrem-Johnston gives Whitefish the early nod to do well.

"Mega experience back and I've always had high respect for their coaching staff," she said.

"But Polson, Columbia Falls, Bigfork, they were looking pretty good (at the tournament), too. You can't underestimate anybody."