Volleyball Preview: Middle Blockers

The Huskies have their most depth at the position in years

By Washington Huskies

August 26^th, 2019

The 2019 Husky Volleyball season begins this Friday as the 13th-ranked Dawgs head to Hawaii for three matches against St. John's, 21st-ranked San Diego, and Hawaii. Washington returns a largely intact group from 2018 but with much more experience across the board.

Fifth-year Head Coach Keegan Cook shared his thoughts on the progress the players have made since the 2018 season ended last December in the round of 16.

The middle blocker group is the biggest it has been at UW since 2012, two returning starters joined by two talented underclassmen. The returning starters, senior Avie Niece and junior Lauren Sanders, are poised to have their best seasons yet, while sophomore Marin Grote and freshman Sophie Summers should provide outstanding depth to the position.

Avie Niece

Now a senior, Niece led the team in blocks a year ago with 1.15 per set, and hit a career-best .313. She had a productive summer, playing on Team USA at the World University Games and has impressed Cook with the ways she has looked to continue to improve.

"I loved Avie's commitment in the winter when no one was looking, with the gains she made physically. But I’ve been more impressed by her commitment to improve as a leader and as a teammate, and her ability to communicate with me and her peers. Every part of her game is better. She’s heading into the season looking as prepared as she ever has. I’d like to see her have great success on both sides of the ball, and I think it’s apparent to everyone how hard she’s been working."

Lauren Sanders

A two-time All-Pac-12 honorable mention, Lauren Sanders will look to become an even bigger factor on both sides of the ball this season. She led the team with a .315 attack percentage last year and raised her kills per set from 1.63 as a freshman to 1.93 last year. Sanders also trained with the U.S. Collegiate National Team for the second year in a row this summer.

"Lauren had a strong winter, looked really good, then had an illness that she went through for about a month that set her back in the spring. She showed up to this training camp in the best shape I’ve ever seen her in. You can see how hard she can practice, how long she can practice for. Every part of her game is better, and she really committed herself to improving physically. I put that challenge in front of her at the start of the summer and she came back looking ready to go. I like the progress she’s made as a blocker, we really want her to be a problem for other teams in that sense, and she’s tackled that head on in the first two weeks."

Marin Grote

The 6-4 sophomore played in 15 matches last year, frequently called upon off the bench when UW needed an offensive spark, but also starting four matches during Pac-12 play. She showed her potential in a win over Colorado with 11 kills, hitting .381 with 5 blocks and 2 aces.

"Marin played in some key matches for us and some big moments. She just looks more comfortable and confident. She’s a much more reliable blocker than a year ago, which is really important to us. Now the challenge is to continue to carve out an offensive identity, let her do some things attacking that are unique to her, so that’s been the theme these first few weeks, letting her run a variety of plays and starting to create an identity as an offensive threat."

Sophie Summers

One of three freshmen on the squad this year, the Portland, Ore. native stands 6-3 and is already an imposing presence along the net. The 15th-ranked recruit nationally according to PrepVolleyball.com, the sky is the limit for Summers' future as a Dawg.

"Sophie is as physically prepared as you could hope for with an incoming freshman, but the best part is the way she goes about her day with practice. She’s got a steady work-like approach to her game. After about a week she got more comfortable and she had a couple days where she looked ready to go. Her blocking was impressive, and getting her comfortable attacking the slide is our next challenge, but she is also a player who could potentially be one of the best serving middles we’ve ever had in this program. She really has made an impression on everyone with her serve."