Volleyball: Fisher sets the table for potent Monahans attack

Erin Fisher is ready to be in the eye of the storm again today, which won’t be any different than the last few months.

Of course it will be since Monahans High School’s volleyball team will be playing Caldwell in the semifinals of the UIL Class 3A State Volleyball Championships at Texas State University’s Strahan Coliseum in San Marcos.

But the Lady Loboes junior has become accustomed to her role in the spotlight since becoming the lone setter in the team’s 5-1 offense during the opening weeks of the season.

“Being the setter, you’re touching the ball pretty much every play,” Fisher said. “You have to keep the hitters calm and try to take some of that pressure away and put it on yourself. You can get frustrated at times, but we know we’re all going to make mistakes and just all of us staying together helps a lot. It helps get me more pumped up, too.”

Fisher played as a sophomore, but wasn’t the lone setter in the offense. She and Jordan Jernigan shared time in a 6-2 offense, which meant Fisher was on the floor for three rotations at a time.

Lady Loboes head coach Patty Dominguez toyed with the idea of switching to the 5-1 at the start of this season, but originally ran a 6-2 with Fisher and junior Feleena Graves.

“I was trying to go with a bigger block,” Dominguez said. “Then we had some injuries, just some nagging stuff, so we made some adjustments for the San Angelo tournament. Then she just started taking over the team and running the offense really well.

“I figured if she has that kind of strength, we need to use it.”

Fisher said she was excited with the switch, which meant she also would be needed for blocking purposes during her three rotations at the net.

But she also said it wasn’t a role she could have filled as efficiently a season ago.

“Last year I was kind of nervous and didn’t really know what to do in certain situations,” Fisher said. “But I learned a lot through last year and even this year with Coach’s help.”

While Fisher has thrived in her role, Graves also has come up in a big way during three rotations as a defensive specialist.

Most recently, she had 13 digs as the Lady Loboes beat Abilene Wylie in the Region I-3A championship match.

“Feleena came in and made perfect passes to target,” Dominguez said. “Those things are crucial. I think she’s accepted her role and she’s done a great job.”

While Fisher hasn’t played in a state tournament match, she was on the bench her freshman season as the Lady Loboes reached the final.

She can’t wait to be a part of it.

“It’s the top four teams in Texas,” Fisher said. “It’s really exciting to be one of those, much less to play one of those. We know we can beat (Caldwell), but we’re going to have to work together and play hard.”