year in the back row rotation cost us quite a bit. It was all in the name of developing her as a six-rotation player — unfortunately we clearly had better back row players that should've been playing in her stead w games on the line (Wee comes first to mind, but there were others).

While Mady is an incredible athlete who will land you an amazing strike or two every match, her strike radius & upper body strength really limit her as a reliable front row player. She is probably never gonna be the dominant OH that I think Heather envisioned of her, but there's no question after last season that a 6-rotation player is not in her. Her back row skills are just not there. Not at the level BYU wants to play, anyways. She showed improvement last season, but not nearly enough. It was also clear Grimmer's potential as a pin-hitter was hands-down better, & her overall defensive skills were pretty impressive. She might only be 2 inches taller than Mady on paper, but her length & strength make her a much bigger player than the two inches suggest. Even a quick look tells you that. Grimmer will fill in quite seamlessly for Miller, & hopefully Dayton can be the quality six-rotation player for us this year that we didn't really have last season. Heather kept Dayton on the back row last season (where she did pretty well, & by season's end was very reliable), but she'll most likely be taking swings for us this year.

I presume Heather had a tough talk w Mady at the end of the season. For the sake of Miller & Lake & our team, I wish it had come before midseason.