Houston freshman libero Amanda Carson knows her position and so far has done a good job at handling its responsibilities.
That’s good because a lot of inquiring minds, including some of Carson’s friends, would like to know exactly what a libero does and why the name sounds foreign.
The position is not easily understood among casual volleyball fans and observers. Some know that the libero wears a jersey of a color different than that of her teammates, but not much more than that.
This is where Carson, an Allen native, comes in.
"A lot of people ask me why do I wear a different color jersey and what is a libero," Carson said. "So I have to explain sometimes."
The explanation sometimes draws confused looks, but that’s because the libero is a confusing position. On top of that, it’s a fairly new position.
The Federation Internationale de Volleyball, the international governing body of volleyball, created the libero in 1998. Libero means "free" in Italian, but the term is somewhat misleading because the libero has limited freedom on the court.
Pronounced "LEE-bah-ro," the libero, which was added to the collegiate level in 2002, is a defensive specialist who only plays on the back row, cannot jump to attack the ball and cannot hand set in front of the 10-foot line.
The libero wears a different color jersey than her teammates so that the referee can distinguish her from other position players. That player can be subbed into a game without counting against the maximum of 15 substitutions allowed per game.
The libero position is often times confused with the defensive specialist position; the latter player wears the same color jersey as her teammates and can do almost everything a libero cannot, including jump attack and hand set in front of the 10-foot line. The defensive specialist also counts against the 15-substitution maximum per game when subbed into a game.
The libero wasn’t allowed to serve at the collegiate level until 2004 when the NCAA changed the rule.
The latter is significant because the libero was never intended to be an offensive player.
"A few years ago, they let that position serve because they thought that that player needed to feel more involved," Houston head coach Bill Walton said. "Internationally, they don’t let the libero serve because they don’t want it to become an offensive position; it’s supposed to be just defense.
"Once we put the libero back serving, it became not only a defensive and passing position, but an offensive position. So people don’t just look for passers and defenders any more. They look for people who can rip the jump serve."
The passing aspect makes Carson’s position particularly valuable. Walton has the option of subbing her in for players who are poor passers, particularly middle blockers.
"(Passing) is a very important part of the game," Carson said. "If you don’t have (good) passing, you can’t run your offense."
The use of the libero also prevents Walton from having to overwork his middle blockers.
"In the old days, we used to have to teach our middle blockers to play defense and pass," Walton said. "The value of the libero is that we no longer have to use practice time to teach them. We can take two players and they never have to play back row because the libero always goes in for them."
As the libero, Carson is expected to be one of the Cougars’ top defensive players in addition to being one of the best passers. She has to make quality digs and handle the opposing team’s serves.
The position suits Carson’s interests.
"I just like playing defense, so that’s what I just stick to," Carson said. "(I’m) not so much on the offensive, killing the ball (aspect) because I’m not really good at it. It doesn’t bother me that I can’t jump or set the ball in front of the 10-foot line."
Furthermore, Carson is expected to be the Cougars’ defensive "captain."
Walton feels that given some more time, Carson, who leads the Cougars in digs with 229, will grow more comfortable with this role.
"She needs to be the expert on where the team plays defense, how we play defense, and (tell) other players who aren’t sure," Walton said. "(Liberos) are always in the back row, so they should be helping everyone else understand what they should be doing. If someone has a question about what they should do, they should ask her."
