Yellow Pages
MOUNT VERNON — When the Skagit Valley College volleyball team’s season began, outside hitter Ariel Erlenbach figured the extent of her setting experience would be on the occasional drill during practice.
When the Cardinals open Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Tournament play in the first round today, the entire offense will run through the Burlington-Edison graduate’s hands.
“She’s always been a hitter, but she’s a smart player,” Cardinals coach Kelsey Savage-Swapp said. “She has good setting hands.”
Sophomore Shelby Zanoni, the team’s staring setter the past two years, dislocated her ankle and suffered torn tendons during a drill in practice.
“It was definitely a shock,” outside hitter Lauren Slaymaker said. “Our first concern was how (Shelby) was feeling. Then we thought about ‘What do we do now?’”
Erlenbach hadn’t set since her freshman season in high school on the junior varsity. She and April Bobadilla began splitting the workload, with the team utilizing a 6-2 formation. Gradually Erlenbach emerged as the team’s best option. She handled all the duties during a win over Shoreline in the regular season finale.
“I really enjoy it,” Erlenbach said. “It was definitely hard at first, but it got easier. Coming from a hitting position, I know what hitters need.”
Now, seven matches and one tournament into her setting career, she’s hoping to help the Cardinals make a postseason run.
The Cardinals have done well since Zanoni’s injury, going 5-2 to finish the season 8-4 in North Division play and 15-10 overall.
“We’ve been doing really well,” Slaymaker said. “The setter and hitters are really starting to click. I’m excited to take that to the tournament.”
The Cardinals open at 4:30 p.m. today against a Highline team that beat them in four games early in the season and also beat them in the tournament last year.
