Film breakdown: Middle Blockers

The North Texas volleyball team enters the 2020 season with high expectations. The Mean Green return 10 lettermen and all six starters from a 2019 squad that finished 17-11 and third in Conference USA. Along with a wealth of experience, UNT welcomes six new members to its program in one of the most talented recruiting classes during head coach Andrew Palileo's seven-year tenure.

If that isn't enough, the 2020 senior class of Valerie Valerian, Barbara Teakell, Miranda Youmans, Kaliegh Skopal and Henrianna Ibarra has the opportunity to make history. If the Mean Green win a conference title this season, the 2020 seniors would be the only class in program history to win two separate conference championships.

As the first serve of the season is just over a month away, we wanted to break down several clips of last year's film to look at what the Mean Green return at each position in 2020. This is the first of a four-part series, and this week we'll start with middle blockers.

Only clips of returning players are provided. Incoming freshmen will be included at the bottom of each breakdown.

#13 Sarah Haeussler | Junior | MB | 6'1
2019 stats:
MP        SP          K                E              TA         PCT.             BS              BA             TB         BE         BHE
15         54       102               27            233         .322              10               42              52          10               0

Haeussler began 2019 on a torrid pace as the starting middle blocker. She set a season high in kills (15) against Tulsa during opening weekend in the North Texas Invitational. The Aledo, Texas-native also collected at least six blocks in three of the first five matches.

However, a torn labrum cut Haeussler's season short at the beginning of conference play. She was on pace to break 100 blocks for the first time in her career and was hitting an efficient .322 before the injury.

A large part of why Haeussler has been successful in her first two seasons at North Texas is her ability to cover ground with an efficient first step. In the clip below, watch her take one small gather step for moving all the way from the middle of the net to the sideline in less than a second.

After putting herself in position, Haeussler does a great job of timing the jump and using strong hands to grab a point for the Mean Green.

#12 Miranda Youmans | Senior | MB | 6'1
2019 stats:

MP       SP            K                E              TA         PCT.             BS              BA             TB         BE         BHE
23        81        119               40            288         .274                6               62              68            6               0

There's one word that comes to mind when watching Youmans compete between the lines…grit. The senior from Waco stepped in and gave the Mean Green a much-needed boost during league play and played a huge part in the five-game winning streak.

An example of her determination to finish a play is shown in the clip below. Similar to Haeussler, watch how Youmans uses a gather step before elevating and executing a successful swing block. Although Southern Miss was able to keep the rally alive, Youmans resets and effectively executes a second swing block to give the Mean Green a point.

#25 Alysha Johnson | Sophomore | MB | 6'2
2019 stats:
MP       SP            K                E              TA         PCT.             BS              BA             TB         BE         BHE
27        104      163               43            364         .330              12               78              90            6               0

When Haeussler was sidelined with the injury, Palileo and his staff turned toward Johnson to take over as the starting middle blocker. Although it was just her first season of collegiate action, Johnson thrived on the court and led the Mean Green with 90 blocks while earning a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

In addition to her impressive play on the defensive side of the net, Johnson showed the ability to be powerful, yet efficient on the offensive end. She racked up 163 kills and led the team with a .330 hitting percentage.

Let's take a look at one of Johnson's strengths from last season. In the clip below, Johnson illustrates how to take away the hitter's angle.

Instead of facing the opposing hitter straight up, Johnson simply reaches over into the angle with both hands as she elevates off the ground. This is effective because she ends up taking more angle and space than the hitter is expecting.

Johnson, a local product from Mansfield, Texas, has the potential to be a vital part of a Mean Green squad that looks to compete for its second C-USA title in 2020.

#21 Halle Jackson | Freshman | MB | 6'2
2019 High School stats:
SP        K             E              TA          PCT.             BS             BA              TB             BE
72        287        81            598           .344             22              79            101                9

From last month's freshman breakdown: As the tallest recruit in the Class of 2020, Jackson will look to create havoc in the middle of the floor for the Mean Green. She'll be able to learn from three middle blockers who contributed for the Mean Green last season in Haeussler, Youmans and Johnson.

Jackson is no stranger to winning. As a senior, Jackson led Hayden High School to the 2019 Kansas Class 4A State Championship and a 38-6 overall record. She led the team in 2019 with 101 blocks while adding 287 kills and a .344 hitting percentage.

In recognition of her performance in 2019, Jackson was named to the Kansas Volleyball Association (KVA) All-State tournament team and the KVA all-state team. She was also named All-City second team by The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Sarah Haeussler

Henrianna Ibarra

Alysha Johnson

Barbara Martin

Kaliegh Skopal

Valerie Valerian

Miranda Youmans

Upcoming Events

University of North Texas Athletics