Setting pretty

Adam Candee

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2002 | 9:43 a.m.

The to-do list for a good setter never ends.

Where to begin: Read the blockers, read the defense, kick your feisty hitter in the butt, pump up your pouting passer, call the offense, sedate your frantic coach, scramble into position, check it all over one last time ... and finally, make the great set before you do it all over again.

It is no wonder, then, that the city's two best prep volleyball teams spin on the axis of their standout setters: Durango's Amy Schlauder and Green Valley's Kelsi Thoman.

"Anyone can be a setter. You can throw a ball up," Schlauder said. "But it takes much more to learn how to do it well."

Teammates in the offseason and rivals in the fall, Schlauder and Thoman are leading top-seeded teams with one combined loss in local play into this week's region tournaments, which begin tonight at Chaparral. That one loss came when the undefeated Blazers downed the Gators in three games last week.

"That slapped us in the face that we need to work a lot harder," Thoman said.

For both squads to enjoy postseason success, their setters will need to play integral parts.

"To put it in a nutshell," Durango coach Bob Kelly said, "if we win, good job. If we lose, it's on you. It has just about everything to do with the success of the team."

Kelly and Green Valley coach Erin Hill have mentored elite setters through their programs, and, not coincidentally, both coaches have led highly successful teams.

"It's an absolute must," Hill said. "You must have an excellent leader at that position."

Schlauder and Thoman take different approaches to setting.

A 6-foot-1 junior who started from her first day at Durango, Schlauder possesses the size, poise, and ability that is drawing attention at the college and national levels. Beyond the physical gifts, Kelly said that Schlauder's drive to make herself and Durango better is her best asset.

"Amy is so determined to be a good player that she will become one," Kelly said. "To her, every day is a challenge."

Says Schlauder: "I love being the leader of the floor. That responsibility comes with being a setter."

Schlauder worries less about popping out a perfect set than she does about keeping the team on an even plane. The mental part of the position is what keeps her, and every setter, constanly learning.

"Emotionally consistent is what I try to be," Schlauder said.

Remaining emotionally level is a big part of the challenge for the fiery and competitive Thoman as well. At 5-foot-6, the Gators' senior setter is not an overwhelming physical presence, but Thoman sets a consistenly strong ball and contributes in all aspects of the game to make Green Valley better.

"What she lacks in height she makes up for in hustle," Hill said.

A starter since her sophomore year and a member of the Gators' 2001 state championship squad, Thoman prides herself on her ability to manage the team like an on-court coach, knowing when to shout, when to listen and when to just play the game.

"You definitely have to have heavy shoulders and be able to take anything," Thoman said. "It's almost like you run the team."

Hill respects and admires that mature and motivated perspective.

"She's got an attitude that you have to have as a setter," Hill said.

Schlauder and Thoman compete together on the Nevada Juniors club team, coached by Kelly and featuring most of Durango and Green Valley's best players. The two, like most of the girls, became friends during the long club seasons, as Schlauder set while Thoman played defense.

Friendship, however, takes a back seat when school rivalries surface.

"That's the enemy," Thoman said.

You can't make an exception for the girls you hang out with?

"I can't do that," Thoman said. "It just creeps my skin."