Pair of aces

Pollock sets, Miller hits, both key pieces in spiker offensive puzzle

Some things just naturally go together -- peanut butter and jelly, debt and college student, middle hitter and setter.

A middle hitter in volleyball does just what the title says, he hits. A setter, as some might have guessed, sets the ball for the hitter. Though easy to explain, this combination of positions is not as easy to put together.

If Pollock makes a mistake, Miller pays for it. If Miller makes a mistake, he only can say sorry. Without both players working in unison, no points are scored and no games are won.

"A setter-middle hitter relationship is one where either position can make the other look awfully bad," coach Mark Pavlik said. "Brad in the middle has the responsibility to work as hard as he can to give Dan options. Dan has to get his body in position to set Brad for the ball. (The positions) are not mutually exclusive."

It appears simple enough for Miller to hit the ball which his teammate places perfectly in position, but it isn't that easy. Nobody's perfect and mistakes happen.

Most of the time, Pollock sets with his back turned to his teammates and cannot fully concentrate on the location of the middle hitter. And therein lies the problem -- knowing where someone is without visual contact.

- Mark Pavlik, Penn State volleyball coach

For the combination of Pollock and Miller to be successful, the pair must be verbal. When the two are off, the ball gets hit out of bounds or too easily to the other opponent and the opportunity to score is lost.

Miller confesses to being soft-spoken and perhaps not as vocal as his other teammates. Although Pollock said the duo's technical communication could improve, Miller is not all that quiet when on the court.

"He is a really funny guy," Pollock said. "Sometimes on the court, it can be a really tense situation. He will say something funny to ease things up."

Fun and games aside, the combo of Pollock and Miller works hard each practice to improve. With the two being the keys to the Nittany Lions' offense, Pavlik extensively drills the pair in practice.

Pavlik said he has a simple tool in his middle hitter's and setter's success -- repetition. The two are constantly working on digs, free ball situations and blocking in practice. Pavlik hopes these practices mimic game situations as best as possible.

"Given the fact that our offense is centered around those two working together, if they don't work together, our offense is unsuccessful," Pavlik said.

Despite the Lions' 1-5 record, the setter and middle hitter have been successful. The Lions hardly ever fail in racking up the points against tough competition, they just fall short in finishing the game.

Sometimes in these difficult matches, neither Pollock's nor Miller's voice can be heard. But surprisingly, they still seem to come together.