Hilbert Preaching Patience on the Pins

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Tom Hilbert is taking a patient approach.

It's all based on what he witnessed on the pins for the entirety of preseason camp, which led to his decisions heading into the season. After four matches (and a 1-3 start to the season), the numbers are not where he would like them, and the players expect more from themselves.

But the numbers aren't the end-all, be-all for him. The veteran head coach, who picked up his 600^th career victory as the CSU mentor their last time on the court, is seeing things – encouraging developments – which the numbers don't show.

"It's still a work in progress. I think getting through the next two weekends and seeing how these current pins do will be a big task," he said. "That will be a big Q & A for us."

Kennedy Stanford, the team's returning kill leader, is averaging 3.3 kills per set, but doing so hitting at a .175 clip. Jacqi Van Liefde, another veteran but relatively new to the starting lineup, is hitting .164 and averaging 2.1 kills per set. Annie Sullivan, the newcomer as a transfer, is hitting .176, averaging 2.4 kills per set.

Those are not the numbers Hilbert is accustomed to from his pin players, but he's not giving up on them. Kennedy has hit double-digit kills and all four matches, and her track record – albeit brief – suggests she'll hit better. Sullivan's past to matches have seen her combine for 27 kills and being more terminal. At the opposite side, Van Liefde has double-digit kills in two of the past three matches, and nine in the other.

Sullivan feels a rhythm is starting to develop. So does Van Liefde, but they also understand they have to be much more consistent with their production.

Sullivan said the opening-night crowed made her a bit nervous, a quick reminder to her to calm herself down on the court. She realizes doing so will allow her to take better swings and make better shots.

"I tried to be a lot more aggressive on my out of system swings," she said. "Against Northwestern I was a little timid, tipping a lot. It's getting after the ball more, which is something I've been working on and something I did against UNC and North Carolina State."

Hilbert notes the contrast between his two outsides. In Kennedy, there is athleticism and spring; in Sullivan is about arm and length. And even though the team is struggling, he has to let them ride it out and figure some things out.

Sullivan may be new to him, but he really likes what he sees. He figured other coaches saw her as a one-trick pony, but he knows there is more to her game and more she will develop. He's counting on it, too.

"It's impressive to watch. I watch her and I giggle a bit, because he face has this look of determination on it, and she's just banging high, banging high," he said. "She doesn't get stuffed, she hits through seams in the block, she'll get dug, she'll take another swing. She keeps doing it. She stays patient, and she understands, I think better than anybody I've ever coached, what she can do and why she's good."

When it comes to Van Liefde, he's not sure they're using her right. She's also a bit of a conundrum, too. In practice, she was hitting great from right side, but in matches, she's been more consistent with her swings from the one row she plays on the left. It showed with a crucial kill in the win against North Carolina State.

She's working on smoothing it all out, too.

"I think I've just been a lot more comfortable, and I've been practicing a lot on both pins," she said. "I like that I do get to take those swings on the left side, but something about the right side is just really comfortable for me, and it's been effective.

"I think the biggest adjustment I've had to make personally since my freshman year is my timing. I used to be very anxious and early on a lot of balls. It's calming myself down and recognizing how to wait on a ball and time it properly so I can get it at its peak. My big change now is I'm reading sets better so I can take them at their highest point. I can jump high, so that's a really good asset that I want to be able to use, so I need to recognize the timing so I can maximize my height."

One of the biggest factors Hilbert places in the equation has nothing to do with them, but something which affects them greatly – the Rams just are not passing the ball very well.

It has the team playing out of system way too often, which basically takes Van Liefde out of the equation when she's on the right and leaves Stanford and Sullivan to get creative on the fly. Still, all of them are working on being part of the solution and being more effective in those situations, taking the right swings to allow the team to have another chance, not just hit a wild shot which sails wide or long.

They're all confident they'll get there, that the kinks will be worked out and they'll become a more terminal offense. They expect the confidence gained from winning their past outing will extend through a three-match weekend at home as they host SIUE and Oregon State on Friday (noon and 7:30 p.m.) and UAB on Saturday (1 p.m.). What's making the process of working through the rough patches easier is the feeling their coach still has faith.

"It allows you to go out there and not be timid, that they're going to pull you right away if you make a mistake," Sullivan said. "You have a lot more leeway to be confident when you're taking those out of system swings."

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Kennedy Stanford

Annie Sullivan

Jacqi Van Liefde

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