Thankless positions making an impact

All guts, no glory. That's the kind of play liberos and setters have to put together for every match. The proverbial point guard of volleyball, a setter simply puts the ball where the hitters want it, and watch them crush the balls down to the cheers of the crowd. Without the glory of scoring points, save the occasional trick play, a setter lives a relatively boring offensive life. \nDespite the position's offensive shortcomings, a setter occasionally gets to play offense. A libero, on the other hand, is a purely defensive player who must stay in the back row and is barred from truly starting the game and even serving. Despite these position challenges, two players from the Hoosier volleyball team have settled into the roles without trouble.\nSophomore Victoria Zimmerman came into this season with little experience; yet as time went on, Zimmerman has become one of the premiere setters in the Big Ten. She currently ranks fourth in the conference in assists with a 13.35 assist per game average, helping IU to a No. 15 assist ranking in the nation while consistently improving her play. In only one year as a Hoosier starter, Zimmerman has already recorded over 1,000 assists. Despite Zimmerman's ability, she is quick to credit senior libero Hillary Toivonen in helping her reach such high assist numbers.\n"Due to the passing the libero brings, I don't really have to move, and I can just look at the block," Zimmerman said.\nThe libero position was introduced to the NCAA starting this season. The Hoosiers have taken the libero rule change as a blessing, due to the play of Toivonen. Early in the season, team members could not say enough about how well Toivonen would fill the role.\n"Her new role as a libero, in terms of defense, it's tailor made for her; it truly is," coach Katie Weismiller said. "If there's ever a position that's made for a player, it's Hillary."\nToivonen has indeed filled her billing by consistently averaging team-leading numbers in digs with 3.11 digs per game overall.\nIn last week's match against Illinois, Toivonen showed her resolve by logging a season-high 22 digs. \nFor Toivonen, changing to a purely defensive specialist came with a price. Prior to her role as team libero, Toivonen held her own on the squad as an all-around player.\n"You look at Hillary, going from an all-around player, attacking in the front court," Weismiller said. "Often, it's the kills that get players the MVPs and everything and all-tournament, and those are the players who are swinging at the ball."\nEven though she has not yet swung at the ball a single time, Toivonen did capture an all-tournament award earlier this year and is enjoying her position.\n"I like the libero position," she said. "I think it works well with my skills, and I think I can fill the role."\nToivonen isn't the only one who is pleased with her play.\n"When we have great passing from Hillary, we are really hard to stop," junior middle blocker Melissa Brewer said.\nToivonen currently ranks No. 14 in the conference against Big Ten opponents in digs with three a game. Along with impressive average numbers, career numbers place her amongst the Hoosiers' all-time best defensive volleyball players. With just seven more digs, Toivonen will surpass current IU assistant coach Cydryce Carter for second all-time on the IU digs list.\nDespite the lack of thanks for their roles, both the libero and the setter positions remain integral parts of every volleyball team.