One of the reasons ASU volleyball has begun the season with a 7-0 record is the consistency of the starting middle blockers.
Seniors Mercedes Binns and Whitney Follette have made a huge impact on both sides of the ball.
Before Tuesday’s match against NAU, the two led the Pac-12 in blocks per set (1.76 for Binns and 1.75 for Follette). The NAU game dropped Binns to third and bumped Follette to the top spot.
This is a huge change from last year. Last season, Follette averaged 0.89 blocks per set and Binns averaged 0.80.
“For a long time, we haven’t put much value in blocking,” head coach Jason Watson said. “We’ve invested some time in that. … Clearly, we’re getting a return.”
That return is needed. ASU’s back row on defense has been lacking. Against NAU, there were struggles communicating and accurately getting the pass off.
The front row is making up for it, though, and the middle blockers lead the efforts. It seems like every hit gets altered by one of the two of them.
Follette had several deflections that the Lumberjacks recovered, resulting in a block count lower than her season average.
Binns’ four blocks were a season low which shows the huge step ASU has made defensively since last season, when four blocks would have been seen as a high amount.
Outside hitter Macey Gardner, who plays at the net, has taken notice. She said the new 6-2 formation helps outside hitters like juniors BreElle Bailey and Kizzy Ricedorff get blocks.
“I think it’s easier to play defense behind that block, but offensively, we always have three weapons in the front row,” Gardner said.
Offensively, the middles are more involved than last year. Watson spent much of the 2014 saying he’d like to get them more passes, but it was never the case. When Follette suffered from appendicitis and was out for about a month, offense from the middle died down.
Now, it’s quietly at the forefront of ASU’s attacking game.
Watson said he looked toward the middles for mismatches during last week’s games. Binns had 20 hits against Western Michigan, completing 11 of them for kills and only making two errors.
Binns only has four errors on the season. She currently has a Pac-12-best .580 hitting percentage, more than 5 percent higher than the second-best player. Follette is eighth in the conference with a .429 percentage.
This is coming from more looks and more set plays.
Binns is wildly successful on ones and pushes.
On ones she and the setter are close together near the net.
The setter passes it almost straight up and Binns quickly pounds it down. Follette does the same — the key is the speed between the pass and the slam. The defense doesn’t have time to react.
Additionally, Binns has looked impressive at adjusting in the air to meet the ball. Freshman setter Kylie Pickrell does not quite have the chemistry down with the 6’4 athlete, and twice against NAU, Binns had to adjust her arm to a non-perfect position to hit the ball while getting the kill.
She finished the game 7 for 11.
On Tuesday, Binns said the push is her favorite play to run.
“I start right-front and then I come around the setter,” she said. “It’s a point almost every single time.”
Senior setter Bianca Arellano said that Follette runs slide plays toward the left-hand side of the court, to the three. One of Follette’s most impressive attributes, though, is her ability to fight for the ball over the top of the net.
She often meets players in the middle and can pound the ball down. She is also adept at finding the ball if an errant dig or a rainbow is left hovering over the net.
Almost every time, she sends it back for an ASU point.
Her biggest piece of improvement comes from serving. Last year, she was often subbed out instead of given the chance. This year, when she serves, she allows Binns and Bailey to be at the net with Gardner.
More often than not, ASU will get at least one point while in that rotation.
“(Follette’s) making that scoring system run,” Watson said.
Related Links:
Macey Gardner reaches new milestone in ASU volleyball's 3-1 victory over NAU
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