University of Tennessee Athletics
VBall Preseason Practice: Day 3 Report
August 11, 2012 | Volleyball
Here are a few notable quotes from the third day of preseason training camp:
HEAD COACH Rob Patrick
"I feel pretty good. We're just putting in our systems. We have six new players that we have to get acclimated to our program and how we run things with our system defensively and offensively. I feel really good with where we're at and how quickly they've picked up a lot of our offense and defense so far."
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The third day of Tennessee volleyball preseason practice featured a lot of work with the two major facets of head coach Rob Patrick's system - passing and defense.
"That's kind of the bedrock of our program," said Patrick. "Ball control, passing and defense. That's something we always work on a lot. It's something we want to get started on right away with our team."
While it's only three days into camp, the returners and newcomers are already beginning to mesh, especially on the defensive side of the ball. With the help of 12 returners, including seven starters, getting the newcomers up to speed has been a smooth process so far.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
If there's one individual wearing the Orange & White that knows about defense its senior defensive specialist Jasmine Brown. Brown put in the work this offseason and recognizes the importance of defense heading into her final campaign at Rocky Top.
"We are way ahead of way where we were last preseason," Brown said. "Rob is really harping on defense because that's what it's going to take for us to win a National Championship. It's also really important for me because it's pretty much all I do. I pass and serve, but digging and defense is really important and we need it to get the wins we want."
In addition to Brown recognizing the importance of defense, her head coach has taken notice of the work she's put in over the first three days.
"We had some young ladies step it up really well today," said Patrick. "You could tell they put in a lot of work this summer. Jasmine Brown has been having an absolutely great beginning of the preseason. Our liberos Ellen Mullins, Nikki Brice and Megan Hatcher have been doing a wonderful job in the back row. They have really set the tone for our defense. Bianca Arellano is another young lady new to our program that's doing a fantastic job. But I'm really happy to see somebody like Jasmine Brown coming into her senior year really starting to feel comfortable on the court."
THE FLOOR GENERAL
At the heart of every championship volleyball team is a competitive, energetic and vocal setter. For the Lady Vols, sophomore Mary Pollmiller fills that role.
In 2011, Pollmiller set UT single-season records for total assists (1,480) and assists per set (11.94). She was named both the SEC Freshman of the Year and the AVCA All-South Region Freshman of the Year. It's not an easy task, but Pollmiller embraces her role as the Tennessee floor general.
"You connect everybody," said Pollmiller. "You're the second touch so you connect the pass to the hitters. You have to keep everyone organized in order for it to work and I love it."
It goes without saying that Pollmiller also recognizes the importance of passing.
"We practice passing a lot and have great passers on this team. To run the offense we want to run, we need great passes. To beat those bigger teams we need great passes."
AROUND-THE-WORLD
One drill the squad really seemed to enjoy on day three was Coach Patrick's "around-the-world" exercise. In order to emphasize passing and defense, the drill consists of no serving and only the occasional full swing from the outside.
"In around-the-world we don't have to go back and serve," Brown said. "We just go straight into play. I get to see a lot of different hitters and have to be disciplined and stay where I'm supposed to. It gives me a chance to develop my range in digging and my ability to get to the balls."
There may be no serving in the drill, but the team's competitive nature still comes out.
"It's not so much the drill as it is the competitive nature of the ladies that we have," Patrick said. "Our defense is much improved from last year and that's something we're really trying to take to another level. In all of our drills, we're just making sure that it's going to be very hard for a team to get a ball on the ground. Our players are taking that to heart and when that happens, you have a lot of fun on the court with some long rallies."
