It was only a month ago when Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose experimented with the setter position. Sophomore Alisha Glass and Jessica Yanz split time for most of the beginning of the season.
As time went on, Rose stayed with Glass, last year's primary setter. With her time as the starter, Glass has made some significant improvements. A larger number of players are getting a high number of kills because of Glass' passing and ball movement.
The No. 2 Nittany Lions' last match against Michigan showcased three players with double-digit kills. Besides her primary job of setting, Glass has come forward as a more offensive player in Penn State's most recent matches.
Against Ohio State last Wednesday, Glass recorded five kills on five attacks without any errors. She continued the trend against the Wolverines with four kills on a .571 hitting percentage, along with 43 assists.
"She did a nice job being a little more involved offensively, and she had some good sets," Rose said.
Despite the acclaim for Glass' offensive input, Rose said he hoped the match had a better rhythm. He said a part of that falls in Glass' hands, but he sees a gradual improvement in her. Because she is only a sophomore, there is still time for her to step up to help the team more.
"She's a work in progress," Rose said. "There are days she does things a lot better and there are days where the expectations may weigh a little heavier on her than her ability to handle it."
Glass has been making the initiative to improve based on the fact that more often than not, she is the first player in the South Gym for practice.
Sometimes, Glass works on her serves and other times, she just practices her setting with the
assistant coaches.
"It's definitely something that if I'm not offensive it makes it harder on our blockers," Glass said. "Coach is always talking about getting involved so the hitters can have more opportunities. If I can hold a block and have someone respect me as a setter in the front row then they're going to get more swings. If I can establish that early, then they'll have to
respect me more later in the game."
Glass is slowly gaining respect from the conference as well. Overall, Glass is sixth in the Big Ten in assists, but first on the list against conference opponents as of Oct. 11.
With the Lions beginning a four-match road trip, a part of the responsibility will fall on Glass' shoulders. The players on the court will look to Glass to set a general tone to the game. The players around Glass have created some damage with a good set-up by Glass.
Rose chose to keep Glass in the starting rotation for a reason -- whether it was her play in practice or in the games is unknown. What is obvious is that the players are continuously reaping the benefits of the help Glass can provide to them on the court.
