Christy Johnson-Lynch’s body language exuded calmness — no hesitation in her voice. There was a sense of confidence about her.

The ISU volleyball coach dropped one of her boldest statements during the 2015 media day press conference Aug. 19.

“Caitlin Nolan is the best returning libero around the nation in 2015,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Nolan, a senior, can back up that statement with the 2014 season she produced, which was one to remember.

She claimed Big 12 Libero of the Year honors while leading the Big 12 in digs per set and ranked fifth in the NCAA for digs per set, averaging 5.47. Nolan also tied a school record of four matches with at least 30 digs, which was highlighted by a 43-dig effort against Kansas on Oct. 22.

“That is an honor hearing that she has that much confidence in me,” Nolan said.

So what makes a great libero?

Digs is an important stat to look at when judging a libero’s talent level. This stat determines how good of a defender the player is on the court.

Looking at the returning NCAA liberos in 2015, only one averaged more digs per set than Nolan — sophomore Payton Harris of Mississippi State.

“I certainly can be the best [libero] in the country,” Nolan said when she heard Johnson-Lynch’s praise. 

Although digs is an important factor to a libero’s game, it is not the only key. Passing and covering the floor are also ways to judge the position.

“Ashley Mass [ISU libero from 2007-10] was a better passer and Kristen Hahn [ISU libero from 2011-13] was able to cover the court better,” Johnson-Lynch said. “But Nolan does a nice job balancing out both and not being as weak in one area compared to the other.”

Those are pretty high remarks considering Mass and Hahn were Big 12 Liberos of the Year and All-Americans, just like Nolan.

Nolan wasn’t the lone libero on the All-America team last season. University of Wisconsin-Madison senior Taylor Morey was the other, topping Nolan’s third-team All-American honor with a second-team honor.

Morey could be the one roadblock in Nolan’s way to becoming the best libero in the nation on paper. 

But no one is perfect, and there is room for Nolan to grow. One area that Johnson-Lynch believes Nolan could make strides in is the leadership department.

“You can always get better on the court,” Johnson-Lynch said. “But this season for her is a lot about leadership and just driving her teammates.”

The Cyclones will definitely need Nolan to grow in the leadership with the exit of one of only two seniors, Victoria Hurtt, who was the leader on the court and inside the locker room.

However, Johnson-Lynch has seen exponential growth in leadership by Nolan.

“My sense is that she is already on a mission, she has already been talking about what she wants this team to do, and she has been a great leader thus far,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Those traits were apparent during the Cardinal and Gold Scrimmage on Aug. 22. Nolan was hard to miss, yelling and directing her teammates where to go and what to improve on.

Just because Johnson-Lynch is setting the bar high for Nolan, it does not mean Nolan has not set goals for herself in 2015.

“If I have a year like I did last year, that will exceed my expectations,” Nolan said.

If she does have a repeat performance of her junior season, it would be a great way to end her ISU career. However, Nolan made one sentiment clear: This season is not just about her.

“But if we were to win a Big 12 Championship, that would surpass any type of personal accomplishments,” Nolan said.