I’m back after my work/apartment fueled hiatus from internet access and man does it feel good. Today’s player is a fan favorite and one of the leaders of the team on the court, Carly Cramer. Carly is as good a defensive player in the back row as you’re going to find and word has come from the @PurdueVB twitter account is that Carly has been cleared to practice with the team after losing last season to injury. While the team played very well in her absence last season, having her defense, serving, and leadership on this team might just take them to another level.
Carly Cramer (Redshirt Junior)
Martinsville, Ind. (Martinsville HS)
Defensive Specialist
5'6"
2012 Projection: Starter on the back row
Cramer is coming off a season where she only played in 10 games due to injury and eventually ended up with her needing shoulder surgery. Prior to that she played well in 2011, and played outstanding in 2010 where played in 35 matches (and started 32 at Libero), led the team in digs, and registered double-digit digs 29 times with a high of 30 against Minnesota.
History lesson aside, Carly’s return is a huge boon for this team which is looking more and more loaded by the day. The word out of West Lafayette is that many of the freshmen, especially along the back line, are coming in hungrier and further ahead of the curve than expected. I don’t expect any of the players on the roster to beat out a fully healthy Carly Cramer for the start at Libero, but it’s entirely possible that we ease her back into the rotation to try and shake the rust off while keeping her from re-injuring herself with her full speed ahead style of play.
One last thing to watch out for this season when Carly does finally settle into playing: after serving 14 aces in 35 matches in 2010, Carly had 12 aces in 10 matches before getting hurt. If that’s more than just a fluke then she could be a very valuable weapon in that aspect of the game as well.