by Dax Larson
November 10, 2005
Every team has a play they can rely on. MSU volleyball has “The Shake.”
When The Shake is run successfully, the team gets fired up and gains momentum. It is a quick, effective play and gains the Mavericks a point more than 75 percent of the time, according to head volleyball coach Dennis Amundson.
“It is a high-percentage scoring play for us,” Amundson said. “We use it when we need a side-out.”
Sophomore setter Stef Sandstrom and senior middle hitter Tiffany Graham run The Shake. The Shake is executed by Sandstrom setting the ball just above the net at a slower tempo than normal and Graham making the kill in the middle of the floor. Although Sandstrom sets the ball at a slower speed, it is a very fast play. Graham has to jump off one foot, which isn’t the easiest thing for a middle hitter. The slower set helps Graham to see the court and to enable her to hit the ball across court. She is able to get up to the ball so quick it’s difficult for the other team to block.
“It’s a tricky play,” Sandstrom said. “It works well on teams that aren’t as disciplined on blocking.”
Amundson or Sandstrom calls the play during a serve reception. There are two ways The Shake is run, A and B. Sandstrom signals to Graham before the serve by using the sign language alphabet. She shakes her hand with the sign of the play she wants to call, A or B. The difference between the plays is where Sandstrom sets the ball. In A, she is about five feet away from the middle of the court and in B, she is right in the middle of the court. The best part of running Shake A is there is rarely a blocker in front of Graham because the opponent is following the ball, not Graham.
“What is so dramatic about the play is that often times [Graham] will make the ball hit the floor before her feet hit the floor,” Amundson said.
It takes a special kind of relationship between the setter and the middle hitter to execute the play. The play is often run by feel, so the relationship between Sandstrom and Graham is important. They need to know each other and their tendencies. This is done in practice when they can get the timing down and understand each other better.
“She is very successful at it,” Sandstrom said. “She is very quick and explosive.”
Amundson has seen the play for about five to 10 years, but it is new to the MSU program. Since Graham is a senior, Amundson is looking to modify The Shake for next season and he wants everyone to be able to execute it.
