An editor at a sports publication asked me to share where I thought Kelly Hunter fit in among the great atheletes who have competed for Nebraska. This is my response:
Hello xxxxxxx,
I think exercises like this are somewhat foolish for several reasons. You can’t compare a setter with competitors in other sports or even other positions in volleyball. Who was the better baseball player, Bob Gibson or Ted Williams? It’s the type of question suitable for those kids walking along the railroad track in the movie Stand by Me.
Karen Dahlgren, Allison Weston, Greicha Cepero, Sarah Pavan and Christina Houghtelling were National players of the Year and Jordan Larson was as good or better than many of them. If there was a better middle blocker in 2000 than Amber Holmquist I didn’t see her. Justine Wong-Orantes was so good at the libero position in 2016 because she had the unique ability to be out of postion at the right time. (Read that sentence again until you understand it.)
I can only compare Kelly with other setters and that is a special group. Lori Endacott was named Best Setter in the World in the Barcelona Olympics but the two teams she was the starting setter for at Nebraska were not top five teams. Until another Husker setter is named Best in the World, Endacott is the best setter we have produced at Nebraska.
Christy Johnson was a first team All-American her junior and senior years and led her teams to a 63-2 record, never lost an away match, and was captain of Nebraska’s first national championship team. She also averaged close to 14 assists per set prior to rally score.
Cathy Noth Was MVP of the Big 8 Conference two times as a hitter and two times as a setter. She then went on to play with the US National Team as a setter. Fiona Nepo was a three time All-American and perhaps one the three most athletic setters for Nebraska Volleyball. Fiona set two Finals fours and played backrow defense in a third. Greichaly Cepero was National Player of the Year when she led Nebraska to a National Championship in 2000. I could go with others like Val Novak, Nikki Stricker, Tisha Delaney, Lauren Cook, and Rachael Holloway but here is the best thing that I can say. Each of these players, including Kelly, was the best person for their teams.
There is a saying in volleyball. “One average setter and five good hitters makes five average hitters. One great setter and five good hitters makes five great hitters.”
If there was a National 5-1 Setter of the year award Endacott, Johnson, Novak, Nepo, Cepero, Holloway and Hunter would have had a good chance to win the award. Noth played in a 6-2 so she wouldn’t have been considered but she was certainly one of the best six rotation players her senior year.
What I can comment on, is what Kelly Hunter does best. Her best attributes are her mindset and her decision making. Mindset is the ability to not pass judgment on the last behavior (set). Like all great setters she may occasionally underset a ball or make a decision that wasn’t the best, but she doesn’t let a less than great play impact the next play. She is passionate but not emotional. She is intentional in her decision making rather than reactionary. She also does the most important thing for any great setter, she sets hittable balls. I thought she was the best setter in 2017.
So here is the truth. Kelly Hunter is an extraordinary competitor which puts her in an exclusive club of other great players for Nebraska Volleyball. Anyone who can rate those players from 1 thru 20, has either not been watching Nebraska Volleyball for the last 40 years or has better judgement that I do.
Thank you,
Terry Pettit
One Comment
Yes, yes, and yes. Thank you, Coach Petit.
I didn’t even know Nebraska had a volleyball team until 1995, but I have seen CJ, Cepero, Holloway, Cook, and Hunter.
Each was different, each was extremely good. Hunter seems to have done the most with the least this year, and those NC’s count for something.