“Better the ball.”
That’s the phrase that Alabama State women’s volleyball coach Penny Lucas-White has continuously called out to senior setters Brooke Beasley and Ellyn Jones as encouragement to track down—and set up—potentially bad balls and turn them into golden opportunities.
If that transition from pass to set is successful, then all the greater likelihood that one of the Lady Hornets’ front line players will come through with an emphatic point.
While the glamour of the big hit is often accompanied by the instant roar from the crowd and rise from the bench, the play never comes to fruition without the hustle, quick reflexes and the touch of the setter.
Often overlooked, improvisation can be everything as balls after a dig can shoot ceiling high, dart toward the net, deflect awkwardly toward the sidelines or even drift backwards toward the end line. The possibilities keep the setter on high alert at all times throughout a match.
Beasley, who is roughly a two and a half drive from her hometown of Winfield in Northwestern Alabama, and Jones, who made the journey from over 500 miles down south from Columbus, Ind., have made careers out of providing the pathway to the point on the court.
Each player reached milestones within one week of another earlier this month when Beasley cracked the 2,000 career assist mark against Alabama A&M on Oct. 3. Jones soon followed with her own milestone of reaching the 1,000 career assists club at Alcorn State on Oct. 10.
“For us, if the team doesn’t do well, then we don’t do well,” said Beasley, who is a four-time SWAC Setter of the Week and 2014 Preseason All-SWAC First Team selection. “We can’t be selfish because then we can’t score [on a consistent basis].”
Jones echoed Beasley’s thoughts on the matter.
“It’s nice to be recognized for something,” said Jones, who has totaled double-digit assists in 21 matches this season and leads the team with 440 assists. “Individual stats are not really in the back of my mind. My goals are more team-orientated than individual. You get more excited for your teammates than for yourself. Individual goals are low on my totem pole.”
Beasley and Jones have certainly played a large role in the Lady Hornets’ current six-match winning streak. ASU hasn’t lost a set with an 18-0 record in the month of October. In 17 sets, Beasley has 90 assists (5.29 assists per set) and six of her 14 aces during the span.
In 18 sets, Jones has 97 assists (5.38 assists per set), 27 digs and 17 aces. During the first set against Mississippi Valley State on Oct. 17, Jones turned heads with a career-high nine aces and led ASU out to a 17-0 start on the service line before ASU went on to take the opener 25-2. It was the lowest points allowed in any set under a Penny Lucas-White coached team at ASU.
“I would like to praise both our setters because they’ve been like the consistent quarterbacks of our team,” said coach Lucas-White.
“I was at a setter’s clinic. Some of the coaches there talked about having a million-dollar hitter and then the $10 dollar extension cord. I would like to reverse that and put out the message to our kids that we couldn’t be who we are without the setters. They are our pillars. They are our co-pilots. Our driving force. I applaud them for their milestones. It is well-deserved and the best is yet to come.”
The connection between the setter and the hitter is a relationship that requires communication and an understanding.
“It’s a constant back and forth,” Jones said. “They’ll tell us that they need the ball just a little bit higher or they’ll tell us that was a good set. There’s definitely a trust factor involved.”
“We definitely have to have a connection with our hitters,” Beasley said. “A lot of times, we’ll have better connections with certain players. Usually, I’ll have a stronger connection with ‘T’ [Tiara Kelley] and Ellyn will be better in setting up Myla [Marshall]. I think it’s because some players like the quicker tempo that Ellyn brings and other players like how I can get the ball up high for them with the longer swing. It’s just one of those things where we happen to have a connection.”
Having two strong setters has allowed coach Lucas-White the flexibility to run different formations. Whether it is the 6-2 or the 5-1, it creates maximum offensive possibilities for ASU.
“Going back to my freshman year, there wasn’t as much of a connection as there is now,” Beasley said. “We’re a lot more mature and we have a much better understanding of the game.”
With over a combined 3,000 assists from Beasley and Jones, it’s easy to see why.
