EDINBURG — When Perris Key graduated from Katy High School, she thought her days of playing middle on her volleyball team were over.
Playing for UTRGV — where the Vaqueros have eight players ranging from 6 feet to 6-foot-3 — it would seem so. After all, Key stands at 5-foot-8.
So when head coach Todd Lowery told the freshman she was going to play middle during a match against Lamar last week, she was shocked.
“But it was good,” she said.
The move is part of some changes Lowery has made to the rotation as the regular season came to a close with a sweep over Abilene Christian last week. The win clinched the No. 4 seed heading into this week’s WAC Tournament at New Mexico St. in Las Cruces, N.M.
The Vaqueros will play No. 5-seeded Grand Canyon at 2 p.m. Thursday in the first round. The winner of that match plays the winner of top-seeded Sam Houston and No. 8 seed Abilene Christian.
Lowery made similar big-time changes in 2016 and the Vaqueros went on a hot streak, winning the WAC tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
That WAC Tournament was also at New Mexico St. and this is the first time the school has hosted it since.
“Perris going side to side is really quick and she’s so fast off the floor that middle blockers have to make a decision when she is in the front row if they are going to stay with her or go and burn with our outsides,” Lowery said. “I think that little bit of quickness has created some space.”
Abilene Christian’s big hitter Lindsey Toney registered 13 kills but after getting stymied early, she had to make some adjustments and started sending more roll shots back over at the Vaqueros.
Key ended the night with six kills and one block assists. One match earlier, against Lamar, she made her first collegiate start at middle and tallied six kills on .500 hitting and one block. It didn’t take her long to transition back to that position, normally reserved for the tallest players on a roster.
“Once you get blocked by a middle that’s 5-8, your opponents really have to think,” she said. “It helps a lot being able to read setters’ hands and being able to move to both sides.
“In club, I was a middle and eventually transitioned to outside and right side. Even though I was a lot shorter, I could never seem to get away from being in the middle. Having a good vertical helps.”
Lowery said he saw some things during practice as they were giving another middle, 6-foot sophomore Luisa Silva Dos Santos, some rest.
“It’s awesome to have kids who accept their role. Perris, if you asked her, she probably did everything through club and high school to stay out of the middle, thinking she probably had no chance to play middle in college,” Lowery said. “But, obviously she’s done a good job and is athletic enough to get the job done. As we get more rhythm going, it really puts pressure on the other team.”
Key had a career-high eight kills against East Carolina and a career mark of six blocks against Abilene Christian the first time the teams met this season.
UTRGV ended its regular season at 17-9 overall and 8-4 in the WAC.
