Maybe next year Tera Lobdell will be able to play with a setter she has been with for more than one season.

For the third time in three seasons with the Huskies, Lobdell, a 6-1 junior outside hitter, will have to adjust to another setter.

Coach Ray Gooden compared the setter-outside hitter relationship to that of a quarterback and wide receiver.

“It’s like a Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison combo,” Gooden said. “It’s important that everyone knows the setter and their tendencies.”

Lobdell’s freshman year had Jenny Bowman setting the ball to her. Lobdell led the team with 354 kills, averaging 3.50 kills per game. Those two stats, along with her .295 hitting percentage, helped her win top newcomer in the MAC.

“It was always easy with [Bowman],” Lobdell said. “She always knew where all the blockers were and all I had to do was swing and hit it.”

Bowman was named MAC Player of the Year before transferring to play at Long Beach State University, leaving both NIU and Lobdell without its top setter.

After Bowman’s departure, the Huskies answered the Bowman transfer with Valparaiso senior setter Jenny Rohren and incoming freshman Kerri Royer.

Lobdell had nearly identical numbers from her freshman year, leading the team in both kills and kills per game for the second straight year.

The aspect of her game that changed was her hitting percentage, as it dipped from .295 to .224.

Gooden thinks Lobdell’s drop in hitting percentage was because of a more balanced attack her freshman year. In her sophomore year, some teams looked for her on the court.

“Last year, Tera was the go-to player,” he said. “This year she is working hard to have a really successful season. She’s working to get there.”

Lobdell agreed with the offense being more balanced her freshman year.

“It was such a good attack that I would have a lot of open shots,” she said.

This past offseason, NIU lost Rohren to graduation and Royer to transfer.

This year is no different from the first three seasons as she has yet another new setter.

This time it is freshman Kelly DeRoo from Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.

DeRoo knows she is going to be part of Lobdell and the team’s success.

“I have to figure out who likes what sets and where the people are going to be on the floor,” DeRoo said. “I need to get it figured out so we can be successful.”

Gooden is only looking for one thing from Lobdell.

“We hope she is one of our top scorers, plain and simple, that’s all,” Gooden said.

But in order for Lobdell to be able to do that, she needs to find a setter who she is comfortable with.

“With Kelly, it’s getting better each day,” Lobdell said. “She’s doing very well with all that she’s been through, the move from Canada and all.”