The question isn’t if senior libero Kristin Lutes is a great player, or a good leader.Many players and coaches can account for those. But rather, how she will be replaced on the volleyball court.

Lutes doesn’t think it will be hard for Debby Colberg to find someone to take her place.

“She has the coaching skills to teach someone how to dig a ball and play defense,” Lutes said of Colberg.

The only aspects of Lutes play that may be hard to replace are her leadership skills.

“You don’t find many liberos who are captains and see the libero position as that role,” Lutes said. “(Colberg) will easily find someone with those skills.”

Despite Lutes’ modesty, Colberg knows otherwise.

“Some people you can’t replace,” Colberg said. “(Lutes) is the total package. She is self-motivated and comes to practice to make herself better. Caches can’t instill that in players. She does everything right and that’s going to be hard to replace.”

The entire team will feel the loss of Lutes on the court.

Lutes will be putting on her No. 2 Hornets uniform for six more Big Sky matches, plus the postseason. She has won two Big Sky Libero of the Year awards and may be on track for another. The coaches gather together to vote for the award and Lutes said the votes go with who racks up the most digs.

“Usually they vote on which libero has the most digs and the highest average,” Lutes said. “I hope I will win it again. It would be nice to get three of four. I would have loved to get four of four, but you can’t have everything. I have worked my hardest, and I love to play and the awards come after.”

“Nothing is a given when coaches are voting,” Colberg said. “But they all respect her.”

Lutes broke a knuckle her sophomore year which denied her play in 10 matches that possibly cost her the opportunity to win a second consecutive award.Lutes was on the all-conference second team in her junior season, and said that making the all-conference team was more of an honor because liberos don’t get much credit as players.

“It’s the big hitters and outside hitters who are seen as all-conference team material.” Lutes began with the Hornets four years ago and has improved as her digs per game have risen each year she has played. Her junior year she was named captain and junior middle hitter Lindsay Haupt knows that will be the biggest factor that will be missing from the court next season.

“She is the perfect leader for our team,” Haupt said. “She knows when to make a decision and when to step back and listen to us.”

Not only is her leadership a key to the Hornets success, but her presence on defense can be seen by everyone.

“She is very consistent,” senior Atlee Hubbard said.

“She is the girl you can always count on,” Haupt added. “She never has a bad day.”

Lutes isn’t the type of player who will stand by and let a ball hit the floor. She plans to go the extra mile to get her hands on every ball in or out of her region.

“As a senior, I’m not going to not dig a ball because I’m tired,” she said. “It’s a matter of digging the ball, even if it’s not in my space, but it’s really a matter of playing my hardest and winning.”

“We are a good defensive team and coach will do a good job finding someone new, but she will be missed,” Haupt said.

“We have other players in mind for that position,” assistant coach Ruben Volta said. “But she will be a big loss.”

“I think what I like most about her is that she is so self-directed,” Colberg said. “She sets the standards for herself and takes pride in practices.”

At this level of competition if a player chose to continue competing one would have to travel overseas, but that’s not what Lutes is looking for.

“Volleyball is a lot harder to play after college, I would have to go overseas,” Lutes said. “I’m ready to put the white flag up and be done with volleyball after this season.”

Lutes plans to coach at the Gold Cal club volleyball team with former Hornet Carissa Buie, who played for Sacramento State from 1995-98 and previously held the program’s career record for digs with 1,899 until Lutes surpassed it against Weber State on Sept. 16. Kristin’s mother Linda knows that Kristin’s volleyball career is coming to an end, but encourages her daughter with anything she takes on.

“This is the first time I heard her talk about it,” she said about her daughters’ decision to coach. “It will be exciting to continue on with all she has learned.”

“My parents are there 95 percent of the time,” she said. “This is the last chance they will get to see my play volleyball.”

Karyn Gilbert can be reached at [email protected]