A libero? Newton North junior sizes up critical position on court

As the ball plunged toward the ground in front of Zucchero, she took a whack at it, the inside of her right wrist putting enough power on the punch to send the ball over the net.

The ball fell between three Redhawks as Zucchero threw her arms in the air, a mixed reaction of shock and excitement on her face.

“I don’t usually get set a lot because we try to run our front row attack as much as we can,” Zucchero said. “It came out of the blue. I just hit the ball over and it got a point.”

The junior is accustomed to scoring points off a serve, but they rarely come during the pace of play. Her position on the court, as the libero, limits her offensive creativity because her primary focus is on defense.

Like Chelsey Kurylo, a senior at Natick High, and Hopkinton High senior Jen Manning, Zucchero plays a technical defensive position that few outside the sport can name and even fewer can explain.

“During school, people will ask me what position I play and I’ll say I’m a libero,” Zucchero said. “I have to explain that I wear a different color shirt and I don’t count as a substitution, and I’m like the main defensive player. I actually have to explain it a lot.”

The word libero is the Italian word for “free,” referring to the position’s eligibility to enter and leave the game at will and not count against a team’s substitution total for the game. The only stipulation is that liberos cover a position on the back line (typically as the middle blocker), and that they can be replaced only by the player whose place they took. The position’s two primary responsibilities are simple yet critical to a team’s overall success: serve receive, and defense.

“It’s the most important position, in my eyes,” said Natick coach Peter Suxho, a former coach with the Albanian junior national squad. His son, Donald, has represented the USA as its setter in two Olympics. “The most important thing for a team is to receive the ball. . . . You need the ball. If you don’t do that, you’re unable to play.”

The libero was introduced in 1998 by volleyball’s governing body, Fédération Internationale de Volleyball, or FIVB. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association added the position for the 2005 season. According to Suxho, it arose from an effort to make the sport more “spectacular.”

Having a defensive specialist a team could bring in and out at any time allowed for sustained rallies, which generate a greater excitement in the pace of play.

To make substitutions easier, liberos wear uniforms that contrast in color from their teammates. It also means they are easier to identify in moments of success and failure.

“I use it as kind of a motivating factor,” Kurylo said. “Your team, your coaches, people that are watching, they can’t not see what you’re doing. That motivates me to make sure that what I’m doing is what I want people to see.”

While statistics such as kills and blocks glorify the girls who can rise above the net, libero favors girls of a shorter stature.

At 5 feet 6 inches, Zucchero is at the taller end of the libero spectrum, which regularly features players such as Manning, who is 5-3, and the 5-1 Kurylo. The libero has to be able to hit the ground quickly to save the point. Digging out a hard, well-placed spike can flip momentum on its head.

“I love that. When I get a dig and prevent the other team from getting a kill, it’s like the best feeling in the entire world,” Zucchero said. “It’s really important; that’s the first step to running your attack — to stop the other team’s attack.”

Most of the time, it takes three passes for a successful offensive burst. A team’s attack most often starts where its opponent’s attack ends — at the hands of the libero. “There’s a different aspect of the game at each position,” said Manning, who helped lead the Hillers to the Division 2 state title last fall.

“Being a libero, you need to figure out where the hitter or server is and try to make the possible pass from serve receive or hit. It’s like a puzzle every time, and it’s fun to try and solve it.”

The libero is also the quarterback of a team’s game plan, digesting looks and trends given by the other team to make winning changes on the fly.

“I’ll call out where the holes are,” Zucchero said, “and I think since liberos really understand defense and how to run a defense, they’re always thinking about where the other team is going to put the ball. I think that gives the libero the advantage because they communicate with their team and tell the team where good spots would be.”

Despite the lack of fame, all three players expressed an inherent pride that comes with the position. Their job is to put a play on the ball no matter where it flies. That’s a responsibility shared by no other position on the court.

“It is really rewarding,” Kurylo said. “You’re always on the go, so it’s a different mentality than waiting for the hit to be there. You’re trying to get there; you want every ball. It’s like a hunger —

you have to go for everything.”

In addition to the libero, setters are also an unheralded position. Here are five that make a diffference for their teams.

► Izze Ambrosoli , Acton-Boxborough Regional: Statistically, there are few on par with the junior early this season. She has 228 assists in seven games, including 45 in a 3-2 win over Westford Academy on Monday.

► Juliana Dolan , Arlington Catholic: Conversion is key in volleyball, and Dolan is making her touches count for the Cougars (7-0). The senior has racked up 202 assists and is averaging nearly 10 assists per set, which is one of the highest clips in the state.

► Zoey Gifford , Natick: The Redhawks’ senior captain has court vision that allows her hitters to succeed, though she isn’t afraid to attack the net herself. The 6-foot Gifford actually has more kills (76) than assists (64) through seven games.

► Lizzie Webb , Wellesley: The senior does a little bit of everything for the undefeated Raiders (8-0) as evident by her 34 assists against Weymouth, 14 digs versus Needham, and nine aces against Milton. Her mother, Dorothy, is the women’s volleyball coach at Wellesley College.

► Jordan Yung , Algonquin Regional: In switching between setter and libero, the junior is having an impact on all phases of the game for the 7-1 Tomahawks. She had 31 assists and six aces against defending Division 2 champion Hopkinton on Monday, her second straight contest with 30-plus assists.

Andrew MacDougall can be reached at ajmacdougall@ gmail.com.