Newly minted middle blocker Huddleston named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week

Allison Lawrence can't stress how difficult it is for a player to change positions on a volleyball court.

To the casual fan, it seems fairly simple. The point of volleyball is pretty straight-forward, right? Dig, set, attack. Throw a block in there from time to time. Doesn't a player just slide a few feet to change positions? And don't the players rotate around the court, anyways?

What's the big deal?

"I don't know many athletes that can do what Missy has been doing," Lawrence said of newly minted middle blocker Missy Huddleston. "On the right side, you're a part of the offense and you have a major blocking role, but in the middle, you're making so many more blocking decisions on every single play. The demands on your movement and decision making are exponential compared to a pin blocker, and then you have to transition."

And that's just the defensive part…

The complexity makes what Huddleston has done in the past two weeks all the more impressive, moving from a right-side attacker to middle blocker after Janna Grimsrud went down with an injury.

Still not convinced? Consider this:

Through the season's first 19 matches – all starts from the right side – Huddleston averaged a respectable 2.14 kills per set (third on the team). She hit .134, added 2.42 digs per set, had seven service aces and chipped in with 0.46 blocks per set (30 total blocks across 65 sets).

In the four matches since – all starts in the middle – Huddleston is averaging 3.19 kills per set on .265 hitting. She has five aces over those four matches, and most impressive, she is averaging 1.38 blocks per set (22 blocks in just 16 sets).

Huddleston was rewarded for her efforts on Monday, being named the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

"I knew I needed to step up and fill a role, and I've just gone out and done my best," Huddleston said. "I'm surprising myself with what I'm able to do, but Ashley (Watkins) has been easy to work with, and she wants success for me. It's been a lot of fun."

How can you not be entertained? Missy Huddleston ends the long rally with a big kill past the double block! pic.twitter.com/OHEKOA4WYU
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 30, 2019

The individual recognition is more than deserving, according to Huddleston's head coach. She stepped into an uncomfortable position and did what was best for her team, helping the Griz beat both Portland State and Montana State while taking conference-leading Northern Colorado to four sets.

It makes it all the more special now that she's helping her team play its best volleyball of the season, and at the same time she is thriving individually – with virtually no practice at a position she hadn't played since high school.

"Missy is someone who has never stopped working," Lawrence said. "She's one of those athletes who gives and gives and will run through a wall for her team. It's so nice, in her senior season, for her to get this recognition from the conference."

Huddleston has always been a threat on offense. She had 24 kills in a five-set win last season against Gonzaga and twice eclipsed 20 kills as a sophomore in 2017.

Her defense at the net, though, has always been a work in progress.

It's what's made this rise so unexpected, and rewarding.

Prior to two weeks ago, Huddleston had 101 career blocks across 362 sets, an average of 0.28 blocks per set. Spread across an entire season, Huddleston's current 1.38 blocks-per-set average at her new position would lead the Big Sky Conference.

The Coeur d'Alene native had a career-high six blocks in her first game at her new position and surpassed it one week later, with nine vs. Northern Colorado – a team that leads the Big Sky for kills and attacking. The nine kills are the most by a Grizzly all season.

"Almost every day last spring was spent just getting more and more reps blocking," Huddleston said. "I was a pretty weak blocker, but I put in a lot of work with the coaches, and I think it's finally paying off."

Huddleston's blocking numbers are likely what earned her recognition by the Big Sky Conference on Monday, but the senior is doing far more than block.

Over the past four games, she has 51 kills (more than a full kill-per-set above her season average) and leads the team with a .265 hitting percentage. She's added five service aces, in addition to 36 digs. While most middle blockers play three rotations and then sub out when they're in the back row, Huddleston is a rare six-rotation middle blocker who contributes in all facets of the game.

"She goes back to serve, she plays defense in three different positions in the backcourt and is our best passer," Lawrence said. "She never gets a mental break from being a middle blocker. She's constantly switching gears and moving on to the next thing she's responsible for."

Update: Missy Huddleston is still good!

15 kills on .483 hitting, in addition to 7 digs and 4 blocks! pic.twitter.com/KNmZM9BtTw
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 27, 2019

The weekly accolade is a huge honor for an athlete who has been through a lot in her career, playing three different positions and for two different head coaches. Now in her final month of volleyball for the Griz, Huddleston has played in 108 career matches – starting 91 of them – while racking up 805 career kills, 874 digs, 123 blocks and 50 service aces.

If she keeps playing like she's been doing, the numbers and accolades will continue rising.

"I feel like I'm playing with a lot of confidence right now," Huddleston said. "In the middle, it doesn't give you a lot of time to think about different shots, you just get up and swing as hard as you can. From there, things start rolling and I feed off of it."

Congratulations to @MontanaGrizVB Missy Huddleston for being named the #BigSkyVB Defensive Player of the Week!

RELEASE: https://t.co/nWC9k5PKJE pic.twitter.com/kdmoaXxF1j
— Big Sky Volleyball (@BigSkyVB) November 4, 2019

University of Montana Athletics

Newly minted middle blocker Huddleston named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week

Players Mentioned

Janna Grimsrud

Missy Huddleston

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