Volleyball Preview: Liberos

The Huskies have an experienced group along the back line with one key addition.

By Washington Huskies

August 28^th, 2019

As the Huskies get set to open their 2019 season this Friday against St. John's in Honolulu, we take a look at the third position in our season preview, the libero/defensive specialist role, one of the most experienced positions on the team.

Seniors Shayne McPherson and Cailin Onosko and junior Emma Calle all saw their roles increase significantly in 2018 compared to 2017. McPherson moved back into the starting libero role she held as a freshman in 2016, Onosko became a regular in the rotation for the first time as a DS, and Calle saw her first significant playing time as a serving specialist.

Having carved out their roles last year, McPherson, Onosko, and Calle are ready to settle in this season and raise their games even further. Joining the group is freshman Sianna Houghton, like Calle and McPherson a former outside hitter switching to full-time defense.

Head Coach Keegan Cook breaks down the progress each libero has made.

Shayne McPherson

The Seattle native has steadily improved every season and suddenly finds herself approaching the upper ranks of the Washington career records for digs. McPherson is 9th in UW history and could climb as high as fourth this year. Her junior season was her best yet, as she had a career-high with 499 digs and she more than doubled her assists per set, averaging 1.07. Serve-receive is perhaps the most crucial skill for the Dawgs this season, and Cook expects McPherson to be their rock.

Coach Cook: "I think last November and December, Shayne just emerged as a steady force back there. She had a nice beach season and she’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen her in. Her serve looks good as usual and there are a number of ways she can score with it. She’s got every reason to be confident, she’s been in every scenario you can be in since her freshman year. It's going to be really fun to watch her do her thing out there."

Cailin Onosko

Onosko is another Husky senior still improving as she heads into her final collegiate season. The San Diego native saw extensive action for the first time in 2018 as a key back row sub or serving specialist appearing in 95 sets. One of the hardest workers on and off the court, Onosko was also the first Pac-12 All-Academic First Team selection for the Huskies since 2009.

Coach Cook: "Cailin had some big moments in the tournament last season, when we were struggling against Saint Mary’s she came in and made some key plays. Defensive effort and attitude are big for this program and she’s a model of that in terms of how hard she goes. Last winter, late in her career, she made a big jump. She bought in on making some changes which is hard to do at that point in your career. She’s a big reason why the quality of volleyball in the gym has gone up."

Emma Calle

Calle went from appearing in just one set as a freshman to playing in 40 sets last year, coming in to serve in a number of pressure situations. She collected five aces for the season and continues to develop an identity as a server. The Villa Park, Calif. native also had her best season thus far on the beach in the spring and is another Husky with a new level of confidence gained from experience.

Coach Cook: "Emma is now a third year player that has grown up pretty quickly and caught me off guard. Her serve has come a long way, it’s obvious to me that she’s made that a priority and she’s causing problems for our serve-receive every day in practice. As a defender, she’s really extending herself well and playing with good range. Her day to day looks more consistent."

Sianna Houghton

Coming to Seattle from Menlo Park, California, Sianna Houghton adds some great athleticism to the libero gang. A first team all-league selection in 2017 and 2018 as a six-rotation outside hitter, Houghton helped her high school win the state title for the first time in its history in 2016. The freshman's ability to simply keep the ball off the floor has impressed Coach Cook.

Coach Cook: "I think Sianna has set a bar for us in terms of what we hope first year defensive specialists can look like. She’s a battle tested kid who had to play outside hitter for a lot of her career so she’s seen a lot of high level volleyball. She belongs, you can tell. She can make a defensive play that usually you don’t see a freshman defensive specialist make. That is where she’s stood out so far in our gym. Getting her serve and serve-receive in place are our next two challenges with her."