Setter Battle for 'Jays: Breaking Down the Candidates

Creighton volleyball had a historic year last season, but obviously lost some key pieces. Me, being the setter that I am, I've had my eye on the setter battle that's happening in the Creighton gym now. Jayhawk fans know that Kendra Wait was an incredible setter and multi-time all american whose shoes will be hard to fill. For anyone who hasn't been following closely, the staff recruited two transfer setters in the offseason and also returned one setter, leaving them with three setters competing for the job in the fall, but not all three are there now… 

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The sole returning setter is Emersen Strain. She is a tall setter who hasn't seen a ton of playing time in her short career given she's only a freshman. She is about 6’ tall and from what ive heard and from what I've seen from her club days, runs a really strong offense. She also has a huge advantage on the transfer setters because she built connections with the hitters last season. So will Strain’s previous connections carry her to running the offense in the fall full time?  

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The other setter on campus now is Ivy Leuck. She is a 5’9” setter from Omaha transferring from University of Nebraska Omaha. She was a starter and played quite a bit in her two seasons at UNO. My one concern about Leuck is that she may be undersized. Standing at just 5’9” could pose an issue on the blocking side of the game. A potential situation I could see is a 6-2 offense where Leuck would only play back row. Despite her height I have heard nothing but good things about Ivy and that she's connecting really well with her hitters this spring season.  So, will her experience and time in the gym this spring be enough to fill the shoes of Kendra Wait?

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The final setter that the Bluejays will have on roster in the fall is a Cal transfer Annalea Maeder. The graduate transfer is 6’1” and is from Switzerland. She is a tall setter who has the potential to be everything the Jayhawks will need this fall. With that being said, she isn't on campus right now and won't be in the gym full-time with the staff and team until the fall. Coming from Cal, she has strong statistics and played in the ACC, one of the best conferences in the country, and she has lots of experience. My only question is will there be enough time in the summer and fall for Maeder to build those connections and be the setter Creighton needs?

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At my first glance I see a couple of potential outcomes. I could see a 5-1 offense with Maeder running the show. I think this would be the case if she can get to campus and build those connections quickly. She is a good defensive setter in the front row and backrow so she’d be able to check those boxes no doubt, the only worry would be about the short time to make connections. Another possibility I could see being very likely would be a 6-2 with both setters that are in the gym this spring. Leuck is connecting really well with hitters now and Strain has strong connections from last season she's only building on. The main reason I suggest a 6-2 is due to Leuck’s height, but we’ll have to see if that seems to be an issue for the Bluejay’s staff. 

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The setter battle in the Creighton gym is one I am keeping my eye on, although they have three really solid options to choose from. I am anxiously awaiting the fall to see who gets the gig!