For Indiana volleyball head coach Steve Aird, the libero position is one of the most important on the court and to his program.
But when libero Ramsey Gary entered the transfer portal in December and transferred to the University of Texas in January following her sophomore season, Aird and the Hoosiers were left without a libero on their roster.
Gary was a two-time second team all-Big Ten honoree in her two seasons with Indiana. In 2023, Gary recorded 530 digs, which is the most of any Hoosier in the 25-point rally era — which spans from 2008 to present — and in 2024 she collected 438 digs, which ranks 10th in that time frame for Indiana.
Without Gary, Aird said the original plan was to have a “by-committee” approach with the libero position — putting several different players in the role.
Libero is a solely defensive position. Unlike the other players on the court, they aren’t allowed to attack at the net and are marked by a uniform different from the rest of their team.
Aird played libero for Penn State men’s volleyball from 1997-2001 when the Nittany Lions made three Final Four appearances. For him, a libero is one of the most vocal, high-energy positions on the court.
Everything about the position — in Aird’s eyes — is nearly the exact opposite of freshman Audrey Jackson.
Jackson played as an outside hitter — the primary attacker in the offense — throughout her high school and club career. She played indoor volleyball, but beach volleyball was her focus. She was even committed to Texas’ beach volleyball program before she switched to play indoor at Indiana.
While the serve-receive area of the position is similar, and an area Aird says she is proficient in, other aspects of libero are completely different.
Aird said Jackson isn’t a “high spirited, flying around kind of kid,” he expects at libero. She’s quiet, but intense and competitive. Which even Aird admits is the opposite of his personality.
But in assessing Jackson’s game and recruiting her, Aird and his staff were impressed with her skill set and versatility with having both beach and indoor volleyball experience.
The coaching staff considered recruiting Jackson out of high school, but she committed to the Longhorns the summer before her junior year. Indiana thought the door had closed. When she opened recruitment again, one of the things that stuck out to Audrey’s dad, Joey Jackson, was that the Hoosiers had been looking at recruiting his daughter in her early high school years, which made him excited about Audrey’s fit with the team.
In recruiting Audrey, Aird said they weren’t looking for her to fill a specific position. They saw a versatile player who could be a piece in their roster.
“I think we knew she was a really good volleyball player,” Aird said. “We knew she was talented. I wouldn’t say that I thought from the beginning that she’d be the starting libero, but I knew she had the tools to.”
Nonetheless, Aird and his staff saw enough from Audrey to give her the opportunity to play the new position. The typically “stoic, quiet, soft” offensive player took on the role of a “pit bull, loud, energy, exuberant, passionate” defensive player.
That brought a learning curve for Aird, who had to throw his blueprint out the window as he’s learned how to coach Audrey.
“It’s just like any relationship,” Aird said. “It’s like, what’s she into? Is she okay with sarcasm? What buttons to push to make her become the best version of her? And honestly like in the summer you don’t get to see them a lot, preseason’s over in two and a half weeks and then you’re in it. And we’re four weeks in and I'm like, I don’t know the kid enough, yet, to know, but I know she can play.”
The staff was impressed with Audrey’s passing abilities, which separated her from other candidates. And while she might not be the fiery libero Aird imagines for the role, he knows her competitiveness and passion can be infectious.
But just because Audrey took the chance, doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a learning curve for her and her head coach.
“I think that it was a big opportunity, and I took it,” Audrey said. “And I think I was a little confused, I didn’t know what was going on, but I just tried it, and I had fun with it and it was definitely like a shock but obviously it was something that I wanted to pursue.”
Aird said Audrey’s communication has room to grow, but that it has come a long way from the season’s start. While Audrey doesn’t need to fit Aird’s exact image, being a vocal leader is still an important part of the libero role in Aird’s program.
For Audrey, it’s been finding her position on the court; where to go to help put her teammates in a position to succeed. Especially with her beach volleyball background, she said it’s been a challenge to keep an “open mind” on where to go, but she’s had coaches and teammates to rely on to help her.
As Audrey settles into her new role, Aird emphasized that growth happens when you are learning on the court — that you don’t get experience until after you need it.
“The more opportunities, the more starts, the more games, the more situations, the better she’s going to be,” Aird said. “And she keeps putting pennies in the piggy bank of experience. She’s going to end up being really, really good, but she needs to be able to compete, and she needs to be able to play, and she needs the opportunity to get those reps live because you can't get experience if you’re not getting experience.”
Audrey has gotten that experience through the Hoosiers’ first 12 matches this season. Indiana has still experimented with the libero position behind Audrey, but she has been the starting libero in each of the Hoosiers’ matches. The experience has brought confidence and better understanding of what is expected of her. And that confidence can be seen from the outside, too.
“From the game against (the University of) Miami, the very first game, I could tell she was nervous and, you know, getting to certain spots, or not sure,” Joey Jackson said. “But then, since I've seen her playing here recently, I mean, it's definitely a totally different player.”
Through the first 12 matches, Audrey collected 120 digs, but as Big Ten play ramps up, Audrey’s production at libero will also need to increase. The Big Ten is full of powerful programs, as nine are ranked by the American Volleyball Coaches Association or received votes in the rankings. After starting 2-0 in the conference against Northwestern and Washington, the Hoosiers now play No.17 USC and No. 24 UCLA on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, respectively.
And as Indiana approaches the heart of its conference schedule, Audrey recognizes the Big Ten matches will be difficult. She said it’s important for her to not doubt herself and trust her teammates around her.
But even as that spotlight gets brighter, Joey Jackson knows his daughter won’t shy away from the moment.
“With her, she's a gamer,” Joey Jackson said. “She's someone who loves to play in big games and someone who is gonna put the effort in, work hard, cheer on her teammates, all this stuff. And so, the passion definitely is there.”
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
