While the rest of her teammates are celebrating a kill, Nellie Spicer sometimes finds herself on the outside looking in.
Of the volleyball court, that is.
Frequently, the junior setter can be spotted as distant as the service line 9 meters away from the net, or off to the side near press row. Yet no matter how near or far from the action she is, Spicer is always one to cheer her hitters on.
Her quickness, ability to spread the ball around, and game smarts have been and will continue to contribute to the UCLA women’s volleyball team’s success, as long as she is there to get a hand on the ball.
“I am biased, but I think she is the best setter in the conference and in the nation,” coach Andy Banachowski said. “I certainly wouldn’t trade her for anybody.”
“I can always rely on Nellie,” outside hitter Ali Daley said. “There’s never a doubt in my mind that Nellie can’t get that ball, can’t get that pass, can’t dig a ball, can’t block a ball. I always have full faith in her.”
Spicer, who comes from a family with three other siblings who have played collegiate volleyball, is certainly not shy about laying herself out in order to make the play. Whether it’s sprinting to the end line or sprawling out down low, the former defensive specialist-turned-setter does what it takes to get the ball to her hitters.
“One of the most critical things about being a setter is how competitive you are,” said assistant coach Dan Conners, who was a setter himself for the UCLA men’s team. “The person in that position should be very confident and competitive, and that’s exactly how she carries herself.”
“I think she’s the most athletic, aggressive setter that I’ve ever coached,” Banachowski said. “She’s quick, she’s alert, she’s got great agility and it really allows her to have such a wide range on the court.”
Spicer’s speed and scrappiness have propelled her into the UCLA record books, making her fourth in all-time assists with 3,917 to date, passing her predecessor Krystal McFarland. At the rate she is going, the junior should even pass Julie Bremner by the season’s end.
As many other setters are, Spicer is so quick that she has the time to check out the opponent and decide exactly how she wants to run her offense. From doing so, the Bruin hitters find themselves in many one-on-one situations.
“As a setter you have to be able to watch and see everything that’s going on, be able to look at the other side of the court, what their block is doing, then at the same time watch your hitters, seeing if all of them are ready to hit on time,” Spicer said. “I look at their side every time before they serve, and then I also try to look during a rally to see if their block shifts.”
This ability to read and adjust has allowed Spicer to run an efficient and spread-out offense, something that may prove quite helpful to the Bruins this season. As UCLA has lost three key hitters from last year, All-American middle blocker Nana Meriwether, outside hitter Katie Carter, and opposite-turned-libero Colby Lyman, the Bruins are still trying to find a niche in their offense.
“We don’t have a true terminator (this year),” Conners said. “We have several very good players that are good at terminating. But it’s important for Nellie to distribute the balls to our hitters so that she gets them in good advantageous situations to have better chances of putting the ball away.”
Daley has been the receiver of choice as of late, getting one-fourth of the sets. But more often than not, this year’s offense has been characterized by a balanced attack. Spicer has taken advantage of the opportunities she’s given to shoot the ball to the outside, flip it backwards to her opposite, or even dump the ball herself, all in good judgment.
“I think (even set distribution) is going to be a huge positive with our team because the other team never knows who it’s going to go to and they can never release their block and have two blockers on one person,” Spicer said. “It’s always them having to guess.”
“I think all the qualities … mentioned earlier allows her to spread (the ball) around so that there aren’t too many situations where she can’t find any of the hitters out there,” Banachowski said. “It’s great for the hitters because they always feel like they can be involved, that Nellie is going to give them the set.”
As co-captain and floor captain this season, Spicer leads the team just as a quarterback would lead a football team, controlling the tempo and outlook of the offense. She could even perhaps fill in for the Bruin football squad.
Or maybe not.
“She’d be too small to be a quarterback out there with all those big guys,” Banachowski said. “But it’s the same similarity certainly in football and volleyball. She directs and handles the ball every play like a quarterback does.”