Sand takes over libero role, gives Syracuse flexibility
Katherine Sotelo | Design Editor
Freshman Belle Sand didn’t play the first five games of the season for Syracuse. Instead, she sat on the bench and watched senior Melina Violas and freshman Dana Crispi play at libero and defensive specialist, respectively — the positions Sand hoped to play.
But three months later, Sand has earned significantly more playing time than Crispi and taken Violas’ role as the team’s libero.
“I came in with the goal that I just want to play,” Sand said. “I’m a freshman. It’s just awesome to play. It’s just awesome that Coach has seen the hard work that I’ve been putting in.”
Throughout conference play, head coach Leonid Yelin has been switching between Violas and Sand as libero. But Sand has been his go-to player in the last four matches, and she has recently emerged as Syracuse’s best option at libero and her statistics back it up.
Sand will look to keep improving when SU (8-5, 1-10 Atlantic Coast) plays Clemson (16-9, 4-7) at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Women’s Building, if she wants to keep her position as libero going forward.
“When we’re looking at the last couple matches, it’s better,” Yelin said of Sand’s statistics. “… If you (are) playing better, get this jersey here and get on the floor.”
Initially Sand had to adjust to the speed of collegiate volleyball and the hitters’ ability to place the ball where she was not.
She would often find herself out of position and unable to get to the ball, or she would make a poor play on it. On Oct. 12 against Pittsburgh, Sand only had three digs despite playing in three sets and committed a set-ending error in the third.
“She’s a freshman, she’s learning,” junior setter Gosia Wlaszczuk said. “… She’ll be a great player and she’s working hard, but I think it’s really hard to be a freshman.”
But in SU’s rematch against Pittsburgh on Nov. 2, Sand led the team with 10 digs and committed only one reception error on 32 serves to her.
Sand said her serve receive is the strongest part of her game and that it’s a threat to other teams.
“That’s how teams get momentum is their serve,” Sand said. “If they keep serving and you can’t stop it you really don’t have a chance. Serve receive is such a huge part in volleyball.”
With Sand at libero, the Orange is more flexible defensively, Yelin said. He can move outside hitter Silvi Uattara, who leads the team in digs, to the left side on the back row and put Sand in the middle on the back row. In a good amount of those scenarios, Violas goes to the bench.
Sand is more comfortable in the middle than Violas is, Yelin said. Being in the middle leaves the libero with more room to cover, but Sand said she has been working on her reaction time and her ability to dive for balls in practice.
“I know I’ll amaze myself if I dive for a ball every time in practice, then in games I’ll be like, ‘Oh my god, I actually got it this time,’” Sand said.
In the first game Yelin tried this defensive setup, SU swept Wake Forest in three sets for its only ACC win. Sand was second on the team with eight digs in the match.
But Syracuse has lost the three games since then.
Though she has improved, Sand still isn’t the ACC-quality libero Yelin is looking for. He said he has no way of knowing whether she or the other freshmen defensive specialists will reach that level.
Right now, Yelin said Sand is his starting libero, but he hasn’t shut the door on the other players. Sand’s play against Clemson will determine who the libero is next weekend.
Said Yelin: “Keep working and if you’re going to prove it, a week from now and showing the numbers are better for you, yeah, go ahead.”
Published on November 6, 2014 at 12:05 am
Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus