There is an unwritten job description when it comes to volleyball’s setter position.

“That’s a person, whether they want to or not, that has to be a leader,” RB coach Dan Bonarigo said. “They make a lot of important decisions that a lot of other players don’t have to make.”

The Bulldogs turn to two individuals when it comes to setter leadership in their 6-2 offense: Senior Rita Witteman and sophomore Alleigh VandeMerkt.

“Rita has a lot of experience and she brings that every day, but she also is the hardest working girl on the floor, and her teammates see that,” Bonarigo said. “(Alleigh) doesn’t have a lot of experience, but she’s very skilled.

“I think it’s a nice mix with those two.”

Beyond each girl’s leadership abilities, what makes Witteman and VandeMerkt effective is their athleticism and decision-making abilities, two necessities in any quality setter. When an opponent hits a ball over the net, the setter needs to already know what the opposition’s defense is doing, who is blocking on the other side of the net, and where each of her hitters prefer to hit the ball.

Add to that remembering where she has played the ball earlier in the match, and there is plenty going through a setter’s head on every play.

“It looks a lot easier than it really is,” Witteman said. “You see other setters go on and they make it look effortless, but it takes a lot of work to make it look like that.”

Oh yeah, and they have to be able to get in position to set any pass from their teammates, no matter how high, low or off target it may be.

“You can teach somebody the game and about the decision to make,” Bonarigo said, “but it is really tough to teach somebody to be athletic.”

The beauty of the 6-2 offense is that RB can have Witteman and VandeMerkt on the court at the same time. They are always opposite one another, with one in the front row — who becomes an offensive hitter — and one in the back — who takes over setter responsibilities for that turn. In this system, all six players on the court are considered offensive players. This is in contrast to a more traditional 5-1 system that features just one setter and only five offensive players.

But with two setters like Witteman and VandeMerkt, there is no wonder why Bonarigo wants them both out on the court at the same time.

“The casual bystander really has no idea how difficult the position is to play,” the RB coach said. “They have to be able to deal with a less than perfect situation.

“Between the two of them, they’re both highly skilled and athletic, but they work hard and they try to make the adjustments that we have to make on a play-by-play basis.”
 

3 keys to playing setter

1. An incredible work ethic — A setter needs to be the hardest working player on the court, both during a game and in practice.

2. Athleticism — Setters have to handle a variety of passes and have to set balls at different heights and distances, in addition to playing defense.

3. Strong decision-making abilities — A setter has to be able to focus on multiple things at one time, all while getting ready to provide a perfect assist to one of her teammates.