Dinsdale third and counting on all-time NCAA dig list

Senior volleyballer Lauren Dinsdale might end up being among the top two all-time in NCAA Division III for career digs. In September, the libero hit the 3,000-dig mark, eighth best. By late-October Lauren had climbed to third with 3,580, ahead of, among others, fellow Thoroughbred Becky Herman '06, who finished her Skidmore career with 3,266 digs. The best career dig mark—3,923— belongs to Karen Tobias of Maryville (TN). In 2007 Dinsdale set a single-season NCAA Division III record with 1,117 digs, nearly eight per game. In 2008 she was a third-team All-American selection.

Digging is the ability to prevent the ball from touching one's court after a spike or attack, particularly a ball that is nearly touching the ground. Some techniques include a dive, often ending with a chest slide on the floor, and a pancake, i.e. sneaking one's hand underneath the ball just before it hits the floor.

Says the matter-of-fact Dinsdale on digging, "It's fun. It's like catching fly balls in the outfield. Just don't let the ball hit the ground. It's a pretty simple concept."

"Lauren has the physical ability, and she reads the offense and the hitter on the other side as well as I've seen any player do it," observes Skidmore volleyball coach Hilda Arrechea. "And she's a really hard competitor. Put those three ingredients together and it makes for a very good player."

Lauren's take on all this? She just wants to get back to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence. "It's a team game," she says. "That's what it's all about."