NIU volleyball coach Ray Gooden counts on a pair of freshmen to fill the spot of graduated outside hitter Brooke Dodson.

Five-foot-11 Amy Ward and 5-foot-10 Laura Baetzel are the duo that has the task of replacing last year’s second leading hitter.

“Losing Brooke was big, but I’m expecting big things from these two and they are going to do their best to provide points from the outside position,” Gooden said.

Ward and Baetzel know a big challenge rests ahead, but they feel that they are more than capable suitors.

“It’s definitely going to be hard to replace someone like Brooke,” Baetzel said. “She was just such a great all-around player, but I don’t think it’s anything we can’t handle.”

Baetzel got her first taste of volleyball watching her older sister, Kristy, play. After Kristy’s career was cut short because of back problems, Laura took up her sister’s dream of playing in college.

But to continue her goal, Baetzel must now make the transition from the middle to outside hitter.

“I have been a middle for forever and had never played outside until now,” the Chicago native said. “It’s going to take time and I still have a ways to go, but I am staying after practices in order to catch up.”

Catching up is something Ward got a jump on last semester. Like Baetzel, Ward wasn’t originally an outside hitter, so in order to get used to her new position she graduated early from Sycamore High School to start practices with NIU.

“It was a really big deal when NIU offered me the chance to play for them,” Ward said. “It’s kind of a family tradition to go here and even though I got offers from bigger schools like Boston College and the University of Miami, my No. 1 choice was always NIU.”

Now the choice falls on Gooden, who will have to figure out which freshman is ready for the job.

Both bring different strengths to the table as Ward considers herself aggressive, a hard-hitter and a solid blocker, while Baetzel figures to use her vision of the court and tenacity to score points.

But despite their different playing styles, both are rooting for each other and are trying to help each other in order to make the team better.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better competitor,” Baetzel said. “We just make each other better and whoever gets the job knows they have the other one to thank.”