Wake Forest Athletics News - Wake Forest University Athletics

Borhart Fills Big Shoes As Deacons New Setter

By Sam Walker

Oct. 20, 2003

Every sport has its catalyst. In football, it's the quarterback; in basketball, it's the point guard; and in volleyball, it's the setter. For Wake Forest, that player is Erin Borhart, a sophomore who is seeing her first substantial action, learning on the fly and proving to be the barometer of a largely veteran team that's enjoying a successful season.

"The setter is really an extension of the coaching staff," said head coach Valorie Baker, who recently moved into second place on the Deacons all-time victories list. "I work directly with her on her choices for our offense or serve receive. She's got to make those decisions in a split second. This person has to be a very intelligent person and can think quickly on her feet as to where that ball is going to go."

Entering the 2003 season Borhart was somewhat of an unknown entity to Baker and the coaching staff at Wake Forest. She was recruited as a talented setter two years ago out of Huntley, Ill. But having watched much of her freshman season from the bench playing behind Ashley Phillips, one of the best to ever set at Wake Forest, and having missed spring practices because of a wrist injury, no one knew just how she was going to assimilate with the rest of the team. For Baker, it was one of the primary concerns entering the 2003 season.

"This is her first year taking over the team because she was out with an injury to her wrist, and we didn't know how she was going to adjust," Baker said. "There was a lot of uncertainty at first, but now we're into conference play and she's had experience, and she's improving a little more each game outside of setting with her height and her skill.

When we recruited her, she was going to be our next setter because she has characteristics you can't teach because everything just moves so fast. I had high expectations, but it was a little fear of the unknown because she couldn't practice during the spring. We didn't know how was she going to interact with the other players, how were they going to communicate with her. This was all new in the fall, but they've jelled very well."

Before dropping a match to fifth-ranked and defending ACC champion Georgia Tech, the Deacons were 13-3 overall and 3-1 in the ACC. In a 3-1 victory at Florida State, Borhart showed just how diverse a player she is with 14 kills, 13 digs and 37 assists. As a setter, assists are expected, but double-digit kills and digs aren't usually statistics put up by a setter.

"You rarely see a setter get the number of kills Erin did," Baker said.

Borhart grew up in the small town of Huntley, Ill., a farming suburb of Chicago. She began playing volleyball in fifth grade, following in the footsteps of her older sister, Megan. She earned four varsity letters and trained with the Sports Performance Volleyball Club. She played for Coach Larry Kahl at Huntley High School. He is the father of Wake Forest assistant coach Heather Kahl, and Borhart heard of the growing program at Wake Forest from her high school coach.

"I decided to come to Wake because, since I was from a small town, I wanted a small-town feeling," Borhart said. "I liked how they were building a program and wanted to be part of the success. Academics were a big part, too. I wanted the challenge, wanted something different."

Playing college volleyball was something Borhart had trained for since childhood, but even with the high school honors and club experience, Borhart says it is her keen sense of competition that has made her transition from backup to starter so smooth. Baker described her as a player who is highly motivated.

"Ever since I was a little girl, I have been so competitive," Borhart said. "I would, during family games of softball, quit if we were losing. I hate losing. When I was little, I would get angry with my teammates and yell at them. My parents have always been behind me and told me just to do my best, and no matter what, they're proud of me. But I guess it's just my personality when it comes down to it I want to get the job done, and in pressure situations it just seems like it's all the more important. That's when it counts, and I build on that. I do like being there in the pressure of the moment."

"We sat down with her last year knowing that we had a senior setter who had been starting for four years," Baker said. "They were big shoes to step into. Ashley Phillips was a stronger player and Erin is not quite there strength wise. But she sees the court much better, so if she's in a situation where she can't make that perfect, set she has a few more options. She compensates.

"She sees places to put it for her hitters or to dump herself and is a tall enough player to do that. I think that this was something we discovered when we recruited her. We saw she could see the court and that she made good choices. It's a skill that is similar to blocking. Some players just get it, and it comes easier to them, and Erin just has the ability to see the court better than other setters."

Borhart says she doesn't actually turn to look where her teammates are. The speed of the game doesn't allow for that. What makes her a great setter is her ability to feel the game as it is being played.

"Just from playing for so many years, I know the natural tendencies of girls, where they're going to be in certain situations," Borhart said. "Being able to watch last year, I was able to see what they did in certain types of situations and what types of sets they hit best. Being friends off the court, it helps. The better friends you are, the better you play together."

The friendships she has forged with her teammates have helped her become comfortable, but she has deviated from her previously vocal and excitable style of play. Baker said she brings a sense of calm to the court and gives the rest of the players confidence. Borhart said that her new demeanor might be because she realizes she is not yet one of the veterans and wants to defer the leadership roles to them. Still, a certain amount of leadership falls on her shoulders by default, and it's a role she relishes.

"I am quiet this year," Borhart said. "When the matches get really close, that's when I get more excited, but it's hard for me to be that vocal person here. But setter, it's my job now. I don't really have a choice this year, but I like having a lot of responsibility on me. I love setting so much, and I like being involved in every play. I like the pressure, and I love the control factor and making decisions. It's an honor to be a setter because you really control a large part of the game. It's a big responsibility, but I like the whole pressure thing."