Sophomore Josh Culpepper returns to his natural position after rotating at various spots in the Flames' lineup last season.
Switching to his natural role of setter, after floating around and playing mostly outside hitter as a freshman, should be a smooth transition for Liberty University's men's volleyball sophomore Josh Culpepper, who also will return on the Flames' top beach volleyball tandem this fall.
"All I've done in club volleyball is set, so I hope to fill that position really well, leading by example," he said.
Second-year Head Coach Josh Knapp is confident in the leadership Culpepper will provide to the Flames' Division I indoor squad this season, as well as in the sand, where he and fellow sophomore Colten Fitzgerald return as the top men's duo.
"Josh has great hands and skill all around, which helps him out on the sand, connecting with (Fitzgerald) in their offense," Knapp said. "I saw a lot of great things from him in tryouts. He's very skilled throughout all the aspects of volleyball, has a great head for the game, and he is very active on the court for us."
He said defensively, Culpepper is comparable to senior libero Mason Ellenberger, one of the team's most experienced players as a third-year Division I starter.
"Both have great defensive potential," Knapp said.
Offensively, Culpepper will take the reins from Chase Keith, who graduated last spring, in orchestrating the Flames' 5-1 attack.
"I am excited to see him take up this role in the setter position, which I expect he will really thrive in," Knapp said. "With his mindset, he pushes us to be better. He is always a guy to want to challenge himself and the people around him. With him touching the ball every single play, he'll have a major role for us in how our season goes. He will be one of the main leaders as a setter controlling the offense and pushing our team forward."
Culpepper will have a strong arsenal of hitters to set to for, including senior middle hitter Jared Vazquez, senior outside hitter Tyler Wemple, and sophomore right-side hitter Zach Lamoureux.
"I am excited for some of the newer hitters because they already have some form down," he said of sophomore middle hitter Jayden Rice, who was promoted from the DII team, and freshman Anthony Bernardo, the top incoming recruit. "We just need to work through with them on where to put the ball. Instead of swinging down really hard, you swing to the corners. A lot of the professional game is about hitting lines. If we can do that and speed up the tempo, it's going to be good."
He will try to keep opposing front-line defenses guessing by mixing up his sets and running the offense quickly and efficiently.
"I'm going to have to be spreading it around, running some new plays, just trying to throw the other team off their guard," Culpepper said. "The quicker we can run it, the better. Indoor's all about speed and power, so if we can hit the ball hard while setting the ball fast, we'll beat the other team."
Culpepper, who is pursuing a B.S. in Business Administration — Financial Planning, said the setter position requires tremendous court vision and both mental and manual dexterity.
"Setting is a lot more of a mental position … sort of like the quarterback of a volleyball team," he said. "It's very important because you do have to make decisions in-game. There's a lot of things with tempo, trying to throw the other team off, and I really like that aspect. I've been trained in it most of my life."
Culpepper, who has also set for an extremely competitive club team based in Columbus, Ohio, and is also an excellent jump server, hitter, and touch blocker, believes his psychological fortitude and spiritual focus are two of his strengths as a player.
"I was trained mentally to be resilient," he said. "I don't really get down on myself, so if you can have the leader of the team — which is arguably the setter because he touches every second ball — never get down, then it's going to be a huge advantage. If you don't have a really consistent guy there, you're going to struggle."
As well as being more vocal on the court in communicating with his teammates, Culpepper wants to form stronger bonds on and off the court that will help them share their faith more boldly.
"I'm hoping to get to know the guys a bit more, especially because volleyball is a fantastic platform for the Gospel and forming relationships," Culpepper said. "I'd like for us to be known as a Christian volleyball team, not a volleyball that is Christian."
Culpepper and Fitzgerald and the other five starting pairs will make their beach season debuts this weekend when the Flames host Erskine (S.C.) College on Friday at 5 p.m. and Webber (Fla.) International and Stevenson (Md.) University on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday at 8 a.m. and noon at the East Campus courts in the first of three American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) duals tournaments this fall.
Liberty's top two pairs will travel to Stevenson for a USA Volleyball event from Sept. 15-17 and again over Fall Break for a dual format tournament from Oct. 13-14. The Flames will also compete in the open division of the Virginia Commonwealth Games set for Sept. 23 on East Campus. The four events will make Liberty eligible to qualify for a return trip to the Nov. 3-5 AVCA Collegiate Beach Championships in Huntsville, Ala.
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterCulpepper (3) puts up a block in the Midnight Mayhem match last season. He is also an excellent hitter, as he showed as a freshman.
