No one enjoys being told 'no way,' especially when they believe they're making a request that benefits everyone involved.
That's what happened to Jennifer Banse, though, when she solicited a move to libero to help stabilize a position that no one had truly seized early last season.
"She came to me and said, 'I think I should be a libero, I'm ready to pass, I'm ready to play defense and it's my goal,'" Texas A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. "And I said, 'Well that's the last thing I'm going to consider you as because I need you, as the hardest hitter on my team with the most power, to be an attacker and I need you to believe that you can be an attacker.'"
At the time, Banse, then a junior, was an outside hitter. The problem was, so were Sarah Ammerman and Mary Batis.
That duo, which had garnered many all-tournament and all-conference honors along with leading the team in points, was entrenched as the two left-side attackers. And everyone else starting on the front line was a seasoned senior.
"I've always just wanted what's best for the team," Banse said. "We had Kelsey [Bryant] at right and Darla Donaldson and Jillian [Phillips] in the middle, three outstanding players, and I just wanted to make a contribution and I felt that was a spot I could possibly make the biggest impact."
Corbelli agreed that Banse had the defensive skills to make a difference, but that wasn't enough to get the 6-footer from San Antonio off the front line, where her power could change the course of a set or even a match.
"I do remember her telling me she needed me to swing, and just thinking that if that's what I have to do to benefit the team then that's what she's going to get," Banse said.
Banse soon got her opportunity because of an early season injury to Phillips that made Corbelli shuffle the lineup. The problem was the opening was at right-side hitter, a position that is usually reserved for someone to help block the opposition's most talented attackers. It was also a spot Banse had no experience playing.
"That was my first time ever to play that position and I've been playing since I've been in the third grade," Banse said. "I had no idea what I was getting into going into it, and I love it, probably more than I loved playing left side."
Banse thrived hitting from the right side, averaging better than two kills per set, a number that went up slightly against better competition in the Big 12.
This season, Banse is averaging 3.61 kills a set and hitting at a .331 percentage, which is better than Ammerman and Batis.
Banse started 24 matches last season, gaining experience that should help the Aggies as they look for their first NCAA tournament berth in four years.
"Last year led into this year really well, but I still have so much work to do mainly because the girls that I'm playing against on the right have been playing there all their life," Banse said. "And you are going against the biggest hitter they have, their left-side attacker with more power and higher vertical than any of the other girls on the opposing side of the net."
Banse admits the blocking aspect of being on the right side has not been easy. She was quick to point out she had five blocking errors (statistically three) in the Aggies' one loss to St. Mary's
Those mistakes are becoming more infrequent, though, and considering what else Banse brings to the floor -- including getting on the floor for digs -- Corbelli has no problem giving up the one or two kill blocks someone like Bryant may have contributed for the Aggies.
"[Blocking] is not a strength compared to the other qualities, but I see it continue to be more affective as she goes along," Corbelli said. "When you're not 6-5 or 6-3, [blocking] is so much timing, so much position, so much hand position, so many variables.
"I don't worry about Jenny's blocking. If she just turns it into a free ball I'm happy."
In the match Banse mentioned having the blocking errors, she showed her importance offensively by setting a career high with 18 kills. She's also had two matches with 15 kills this season.
Banse says the outside hitters will often have contests during practice on who hits the hardest. Banse wouldn't admit it, but the smile on her face indicated she gets the best of her teammates.
Corbelli doesn't have to worry about being so humble, saying the others have to take a back seat to Banse's power. But she adds that spiking the ball hard isn't the only reason Banse has been so successful as a right-side attacker.
"She's got a deceptive swing," Corbelli said. "So many hitters are one-dimensional in approach and their direction. Her arm comes out of nowhere. It's hard to pick up because she hides it and it comes from way behind her. She does a nice job of turning her hand on contact."
To some extent, by taking over the right side, Banse got her original wish of playing defense. She is among the best serve receivers on the team and led the team in digs seven times last season, including 24 against Oklahoma, which at the time was the most by an Aggie in three years.
"[Last year's injuries] was a situation that was unfortunate but forced us to do something that's turned out to be really good," Corbelli said.
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