Vann steadies shaky team

Sophomore libero Caitlyn Vann averages 4.91 digs per game.

By Evan Glantz

Published Nov. 13, 2008

For most of this inconsistent year, the Missouri volleyball team has hovered around .500. But one constant during this up and down season has been sophomore libero Caitlyn Vann.

"I thought today she did a great job," coach Wayne Kreklow said after Missouri's three-set win over Oklahoma. "The quality was a lot better than it has been the last couple of matches. She gets frustrated a little bit because she's a perfectionist and wants everything to be perfect. Today, what I thought she did really well, is when she touched the ball she controlled it, and put Lei (Wang) in a position where Lei could do her thing."

With 20 digs against Oklahoma on Saturday, Vann has recorded 442 on the season. That ranks third all-time in a season for Missouri. And the team still has six matches left, which gives her a chance to break the season record of 583, set by Tatum Ailes last year.

"Honestly, I don't know why I've been so successful this year," Vann said. "But I think the blockers have done a good job of opening up for me to get a lot of digs. Every single game I go out and try to improve on my last performance."

Vann is also averaging 4.91 digs per game this year. That puts her in a second place tie with Ailes for a single season at Missouri. Nationwide, Vann's average ranks in the top 30 this year.

"In practice, we've been working on a lot of stuff I'm not good at," Vann said. "And I get double the touches of everybody else because when we do our rotations, I'm in there the entire time, so I'm getting double the reps of anyone else playing defense."

However, Vann's success did not occur overnight. She put up good numbers last year, but Vann really benefited from hard work and experience.

"Last year I would come out for three rotations," Vann said. "I like being able to be in there the whole time. It allows me to be more consistent with my game and stay focused."

Vann's play and work ethic are not lost on her coaches and teammates. As a sophomore on a young team, she is looked to as a leader. Kreklow recognizes her importance, as do the more inexperienced players.

"Caitlyn is an awesome player," freshman defensive specialist Priscilla Armendariz said. "She gives us a lot of confidence and talks to us and that helps a lot. Just seeing a really good player like Caitlyn makes me want to work even harder so I can be as good as her at some time."

Throughout the year, Vann's strong play has helped guide the Tigers. Even during tough times her consistency lent a steadying hand to the team.

"She's the energy of the team," Kreklow said. "Just to have somebody back there like that that people can have confidence in really helps."