Battle for starting setter is going down to wire for UNM volleyball
Team to play host to Fort Lewis in exhibition Saturday
It’s volleyball’s version of a preseason quarterback competition.
Freshman setters Jaclyn Inclan and Sabrina Bianco are battling for a chance to run the University of New Mexico volleyball team’s offense this season. Both are intense competitors and intrasquad scrimmages have featured a little extra intrigue as the two newcomers try to get a leg up in the showdown.
“I think we have a really strong connection,” Inclan said. “We work well together and give each other advice — but at the same time it is a competition. We both want to win.”
Lobo coach Jeff Nelson has been impressed by both setters and declined to say if either has an edge in the competition for a starting spot. UNM hosts Fort Lewis for an exhibition match Saturday at Johnson Center and opens the regular season next week at the Idaho Volleyball Classic.
“Jac and Sabrina have done a really good job establishing themselves and giving our hitters confidence,” Nelson said.
“They’ve both got advantages. As far as who starts, I’m not leaning either way.”
Neither Inclan nor Bianco has played in an indoor collegiate match, though Inclan did play beach volleyball at Arizona last spring. The 5-foot10 Tucson native is a redshirt freshman for indoor purposes and admits she’s still getting her feet wet after transferring to UNM during the summer.
“I’ve never taken control of an offense at the college level,” Inclan said. “There’s pressure to get to know everyone and help the hitters establish a tempo, but I like being under pressure. That’s when I perform at my best.”
Bianco is a true freshman from Austin, Texas, who excelled at the high school
and club levels. She’s still learning Nelson’s system but, like Inclan, has impressed with her quickness and athletic ability.
“As a freshman I haven’t played at such a high level,” Bianco said, “but the upper classmen have been great about working with me. I know I have to be a leader, like a quarterback in football, but I’m up for the challenge. Being vocal’s not a problem for me. I’m pretty loud.”
Inclan and Bianco are the only setters on UNM’s roster this fall, but that’s still an increase over where things stood at the end of last season. Freshman walkon Sarah Lobo was the team’s only setter after junior Carson Heilborn unexpectedly quit midway through the campaign.
But Lobo opted not to play this season and the freshman setter competition was on.
“The one negative is inexperience,” Nelson said, “but they’ve both played in pressure matches. I don’t think they’ll be overwhelmed. They’re both really quick and good defensive players, too. They cover more ground than our setters have for a long time.”
While only one setter will officially start, UNM’s setter competition may not have an actual loser. At least early in the season Nelson plans to employ a 6-2 offense, rotating both setters on and off the court. The scheme will allow Inclan and Bianco to gain experience and take advantage of the Lobos’ deep hitting corps.
“We probably have eight kids ready to play on offense,” Nelson said, “and we want to utilize them all. I think there’s a lot of upside to running a 6-2 so we’ll go with it and just see how everyone performs. The potential is definitely there.”
HOME AND HOME: The Lobos’ home schedule remains a work in progress thanks to ongoing construction at Johnson Center. UNM will play Saturday’s exhibition match against Fort Lewis at Johnson with fan seating limited to the arena’s upper bowl. Admission is free.
UNM’s first regular-season home tournament, the four-team Lobo Classic on Aug. 31-Sept. 1, will be played at Dreamstyle Arena. The Lobos will not play at home again until Sept. 19 and the site for remaining home matches has not yet been decided, Nelson said.