One of the faces of ASU’s volleyball team could see herself in a different role in the 2015 season.
The coaches and setters have reportedly been looking into attempting a 6-2 (using two setters) offensive system in the coming season.
“We’ve been talking, just trying to see the benefits of what a 6-2 could do for us,” senior setter Bianca Arellano said.
ASU has played a 5-1 system in recent years. In this offensive dynamic, there is one setter on the court who determines the pace of the game and which teammate is going to receive the ball. Arellano has led the team in the last two years.
Last year, she cemented herself as one of the top setters in the Pac-12. Her 1,417 total assists were the second most in the Pac-12 and the sixth most in the entire NCAA.
With the addition of freshman setter Kylie Pickrell, Arellano’s role could be slightly changed.
Pickrell comes from Coppell High School in Texas. In four years on the varsity team, she accumulated 3,946 assists, according to MaxPreps.
Watson seemed hesitant to say Pickrell was ready to make a huge impact on the team when prompted. The speed of the game is faster and the hits are harder than in high school.
However, after the Maroon and Gold Scrimmage on Saturday, he said he liked the setter battle between Arellano and Pickrell.
While it’s almost unfathomable that Arellano would lose her starting job, seeing Pickrell earn more playing time than backup setters in 2014 would not be surprising.
If ASU decides to continue with the 5-1 system, Arellano could see more rest than in the past. Last season, she played in 137 sets, the second most in the NCAA. Former freshman Madison McDaniel, who is not on ASU’s current roster, played in just 25 sets.
While Arellano would likely not sit out for entire sets, an above-average backup setter would allow her to sit for longer stretches in the middle of sets while allowing the team to continue playing strong.
Other Pac-12 schools including Washington, Colorado and USC utilize the two-setter system. Arellano said that the play style opens up different hitting spots.
“With the 6-2 you’ll have three hitters at all times,” she said.
Pickrell said she played on a club team with a 6-2 offense while in high school. Arellano played in a 6-2 while at Tennessee in her freshman year.
Before practice on Aug. 18, Watson said that he had only just begun to look into the system and it was too early to determine which route they would take. However, he expressed interest in the 6-2.
“We have two really talented setters, we have some depth at the hitting position… it lends itself to at least experiment with it,” he said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Kylie Pickrell's high school assist totals and how many years she played on varsity in high school.
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