Girls volleyball: Waubonsie Valley’s Zoe Kraslen improves by ‘leaps and bounds’ at new position

Zoe Kraslen was a bit surprised when Waubonsie Valley volleyball coach Noel Soto asked her to play outside hitter last season.

Kraslen, then a sophomore, had been a middle hitter ever since she began playing the sport in seventh grade.

“I was like, ‘OK, we can try something new, I guess,’” Kraslen said.

Soto saw something in Kraslen when he took over the program last season. He immediately brought her up to the varsity team and had her make the switch.

“She plays middle in club,” Soto said. “They’re doing a disservice to her. I see an outside in her, and she has progressed so much since last year to this year. She’s taken steps in leaps and bounds.”

The 5-foot-11 Kraslen took a bit of a leap in making the move to outside hitter, a position which requires a broader set of skills and significantly more responsibility.

“I wouldn’t say it’s difficult, but I’d definitely say it’s different because you’re doing way more when you’re outside,” she said. “You’re doing serve-receive, and you’re getting set more.

“I feel like middle you’re kind of just there to block, and then outside you’re doing hitting, blocking and passing. It’s a bigger change.”

But Kraslen embraced it. She became a starter on a team that reached the Class 4A sectional semifinals and is one of the Warriors’ leaders this season.

“We don’t care what year they are,” Soto said. “We tell everybody that everybody can be a leader on this team.

“A leader is by your actions and a leader is by your effort and always picking your teammates up, and that’s what she does.”

Waubonsie Valley senior setter Addi Candrian has worked closely with Kraslen and has seen her progress from up close.

“I think it’s been a big adjustment, seeing your footwork and how you have to attack the ball differently,” Candrian said. “It’s been a big change, but it’s been good for her.

“Personally, I think she’s a lot better outside. I just think there’s more shots available, and she can just contact the ball a little bit better. But I think she’s gotten a lot better.”

Kraslen was the best hitter on the floor for the Warriors on Monday. She had a team-high six kills, including back-to-back spikes to clinch the first set, before host Plainfield East rallied for a 23-25, 25-18, 25-18 win.

“Zoe did really well,” Soto said. “She did an outstanding job. We were just inconsistent in the second and third set, and that did us in. But tomorrow is another day. We come back, and we get better.”

Inconsistency has been a constant for the Warriors (1-5) in the early going. But Candrian, who had 12 assists against the Bengals (2-4), knows she can count on Kraslen.

“Definitely, I think she’s a really reliable source to go to, especially if we’re down a couple points,” Candrian said.

While Kraslen isn’t completely comfortable on the outside, she said she’s having more fun than she does in the middle.

“I’d say I’m growing into it probably more,” she said. “Middle definitely I feel like doesn’t suit me as much as outside does.”

Kraslen also was a swimmer when she was younger but didn’t like it as much as volleyball.

“I like volleyball because I feel like it’s more exciting, and I like watching it too,” she said.

That’s not the only thing Kraslen enjoys about playing for the Warriors.

“I like the friends and the memories the most just because I’m with my teammates every day after school and I see them hours on end every week,” she said. “We just get super close. That’s probably my favorite part — and also the energy in winning.”

Soto thinks the Warriors are capable of winning more than they have so far. Kraslen’s continuing evolution will play a big role in that.

“I’m hoping for a good year,” she said. “I hope to get better every game and every practice.

“My goal is to stay consistent, and I hope by the end of the season I’m where I want to be. I just want to keep reaching higher.”

Soto is confident she will.

“Watch what she does,” Soto said. “Watch out for her at the end of the season.”