Every time I’ve talked with volleyball coach Mary Wise about specific positions this season, she always breaks them down in football terms, so that’s what I’m going to do for all you football fans that don’t know a thing about volleyball.
To start, Wise always says the setter is the team’s quarterback.
In Florida volleyball’s case, the quarterback is junior Mackenzie Dagostino.
Like a quarterback, the setter plays the majority of the time.
And to quote the wise words of Wise: "We’re trying to get Mackenzie in a rhythm with her hitters, so Mackenzie gets a little more playing time because of that."
And that sounds pretty accurate to me.
So for Florida’s setters, there is first-stringer Dagostino and backup Abby Detering, a freshman who’s seen time in only one set of one match (can we just go ahead and compare Detering to Treon Harris?).
But unlike Florida football quarterback Jeff Driskel, Dagostino is actually pretty good. She’s 28th in the nation in assists per set (11.06).
To compare, Driskel is 99th in quarterback efficiency this season.
Dagostino has also helped lead her team to wins against then-No. 13 San Diego and then-No. 6 Southern California.
Next are the outside hitters and middle blockers.
These guys are basically your skill position players — your wide receivers, running backs and tight ends.
To put into perspective, freshman middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan is like the Demarcus Robinson of the team.
Except she’s two inches taller than him, so there’s that.
But she’s crazy talented for having only played volleyball for two years before entering college, and she has become one of Florida’s most consistent scorers.
The Glenarden, Md., native actually has the third-highest hitting percentage (.510) in all of college volleyball.
Now, while Alhassan is the Robinson of the team, it’s undeniable that Noami Santos-Lamb (but really we should all be calling her Santos-SLAM because the girl has an arm) is the volleyball version of Kelvin Taylor.
You may be asking, Eden, why?
How can a volleyball player be like a running back?
This is easy.
Just because volleyball players don’t run as much as a football player (even if I have seen them sprint halfway down court to save a ball) doesn’t mean speed and accuracy aren’t important.
Santos-Lamb has a 55-mile per hour jump serve. Not to mention, anytime Wise talks about Santos-Lamb, she mentions that Santos-Lamb has a cannon of an arm.
To put into perspective, this 5-foot-11 redshirt-junior can literally serve a ball faster than most cars can go from zero to 30.
So while she’s not running, she’s definitely focused on speed and accuracy.
And then there is right-side hitter Alex Holston, who can pretty much do it all.
I’m going to say Holston is the Trey Burton of volleyball — yes, I know, he doesn’t even go here anymore — but it’s true.
Quick note: remember when Florida used a three-option quarterback system and Burton was one of the options? Holston is basically in that same situation (she serves, blocks, passes and scores), but it’s actually not a disaster.
And Holston also has six service aces, which is pretty much the football equivalent to the Hail Mary actually working.
After Holston comes middle blocker Simone Antwi, who showcases experience and consistency.
Antwi is comparable to running back Matt Jones because she’s reliable. When things aren’t going well, just give the ball to Antwi.
Then there are your defensive specialists.
These guys are like the offensive and defensive line. They just protect the court as much as they can.
They don’t usually score and basically do the dirty work.
Wise has always referred to them as the worker bees, which seems really accurate for their position because man do they work.
First (and most importantly) on defense is Holly Pole. She has recently become Florida’s starting libero, which is like saying she’s the center in football.
The libero works so closely with the setter (they are the only two players that are guaranteed to be on the court for the majority of a set) that it only makes sense to say she’s a center.
And Pole and Florida football center Max Garcia are new to their respective starting position this season.
The comparison just works so perfectly.
Pole may be new to the libero spot, but the senior is learning quickly, which is why she has continued to start as libero for the last six matches.
Now Taylor Unroe, Maddie Monserez and Nikki O’Rourke, they are most certainly the defensive line.
These three are subbed in and out pretty often and are used to making big saves (think tipping the football when the opposing quarterback throws the ball for the game-winning score).
They are constantly on the ground making sure the opposing team isn’t getting the point.
So now that you understand the positions — and maybe some of the language — go forth and watch volleyball because Wise knows, it’s just like football.
Follow Eden Otero on Twitter @edenotero_l
Noami Santos-Lamb swings for a kill attempt during Florida's 3-2 win against Oklahoma on Aug. 30, 2014, in the O'Connell Center.
