Draft Prospect Profile: S Camryn Haworth
The Hoosiers’ setter is returning for a senior season as one of the most accomplished players in the Big 10.
There aren’t many setters in the Big Ten right now who can boast a resumé that competes with the one Camryn Haworth is putting together for herself. She’s a do it all player who brings the Hoosiers to life on the court. Her offensive contributions have earned her national recognition from awards voters and she’s returning to the Big Ten as one of the most accomplished players in the conference. Haworth is determined not to take her senior season for granted.
“I think communication and leadership aspects sets me apart from other people,” said Haworth when I interviewed her earlier this week. “My leadership was a really big thing that I focused on last year. I think continuing to improve that and build a better relationship with my teammates and getting to know them knowing that it’s gonna be my last year. It’s such valuable time.”
The Indiana setter has an advantage when it comes to connecting with her hitters — she was once a hitter herself. Although the Hoosiers always wanted her as a setter, Haworth played the right side with her club team. It’s not an ordinary career path, but it’s one that has given unique insight into how to guide her team to success.
“The way I communicate is a little different because I have learned the other roles. I’ve passed before, I’ve serve-received, I’ve hit, so I think that’s helped me build different connections with my teammates and they trust me in a little bit different ways when I give them feedback or they give me feedback,” she said.
Her background playing the pins gives Haworth an advantage in the way she’s able to connect with her team, but it’s not the only way she capitalizes on that experience. It also shows up on the court. Having seen the ball through their eyes, she’s able to fine tune her game with a better understanding of what will allow them to get their best swings off.
“I think it’s helped a lot with learning the positions of the hitters and how I can help benefit them, knowing where the blockers are, how I can get them a better set, whether it’s tempo, whether it’s hight, anything,” said Haworth. “It’s just helped me learn each part of the game and I think it helps my overall understanding and IQ of being a setter.”
Those skills came together for a triumphant 2023 campaign. At the helm of the Hoosiers’ offense, Haworth notched 10.22 assists per set. The team’s collective hitting percentage of .237 was fourth best in program history, as the team’s website noted after she was named an All-American HM. That’s a credit to the whole offense, but wouldn’t have been possible without a quality setter running things.
For someone who values her role as a leader on this team so much, it’s no surprise that Haworth cited another intangible as crucial to her success last year - confidence.
“My freshman year it was pretty difficult being thrown into that new role. I wasn’t super confident in who I was as a player. My goal last year was just to have fun and I think it took a lot of pressure off me. I think it allowed me to enjoy the game a lot more. Knowing I’m making the right decisions and not second-guessing everything allows me to play very free instead of timid,” she said.
I was intrigued by the difference between playing free and playing timid. There’s no empirical way to measure it, but she clearly thought it was important. I asked Haworth to elaborate and she indulged me with this explanation.
“I think that there’s certain safe plays that we could run. The certain person I set or running that play is a little more comfortable for me when I am feeling timid, rather than setting a ball completely across the court or something like that. I think I’ve really grown out of that and just gotten very comfortable at what I do now,” she said.
Haworth is determined not to let the success of the past get in the way of her determination to make next year even better. She cited the one percent better philosophy of personal growth three times in our thirteen minute conversation. Nearly every player who has awards to their name will downplay the significance, so it didn’t come as a surprise that she waved them away after I brought up her accolades. However, when Haworth said “I think more about the future than I do the past,” I really believed her.
She went into detail about how she keeps her focus on what lies ahead, saying this:
“We write goals at the beginning of every single practice, so I choose mine very methodically. Say, for example, my goal is to drop my arm on blocking so that I’m blocking cross instead of line. During practice that day, I’ll think about that no matter what we’re working on. That skill, even if it’s not included, that’s what I’m working on and thinking about. I think it’s just focusing on one thing every single day to get better at so that you can be one percent better in every category and improve your overall growth.”
Another integral part of Haworth’s game is creating points herself. Among setters in the Big Ten last season - including current Grand Rapids Rise backup Mac Podraza - only Alexa Rousseau, the setter from Northwestern, kept pace with Haworth offensively. Both put 110 kills on the board, with Rousseau claiming the slight edge in kills per set. Furthermore, she was altogether lethal from the service line. Her 73 service aces not only led her conference, you have to go to DII ball to find a server who racked up a higher total.
“Our coaches are really good about telling us to be consistent in your routine of what you do before you serve. So, for me, I bounce the ball five times in my hands and spin it and put the air hole, like, where the ball pump goes on my middle finger. That helps me reset and stay focused and locked in on what I do and from there it’s just, ‘Hit the ball’ All I think about is ‘hit the ball.’ Keeping it simple is good for me because I tend to overthink,” said Haworth.
“You have eight seconds to serve in volleyball, and it seems like a pretty short amount of time but it’s actually a long time,” she continued, explaining why her routine is essential. “Taking that routine every time helps you reset and kind of get into that mental space so you can kind of calm your brain down from the last play you just did or running across the gym or whatever it was. Just finding that middle ground and getting ready to go again.”
When the nation’s leading server says that eight seconds feels longer than it sounds, I’m inclined to believe her.
In terms of statistical production for her Indiana Hoosiers, there’s not much headroom left for Haworth to grow into. She’s going to get all the playing time in the world and has proven that she’s more than a match for any opposition the Big Ten can throw at her. Standing at 5-foot-10, which is about as low as you could squint and call normal for a setter, she even sees her height as an advantage when tracking down balls on defense or in out of system play, citing the fact that she’s speedier and more agile than slightly taller girls.
All that’s left for Haworth to do is conquer her senior season before taking on pro ball, which she unequivocally wants to be a part of her future.
It won’t be easy for her to get her hands on a concrete role in the PVF. There just aren’t many roster spots to go around at the setter position. Most teams this season ran a 5-1 system and therefore only carried two setters, a primary and a backup. For instance, the Vegas Thrill drafted Oregon setter Hannah Pukis with the third overall pick last December and she only played one set for the team. There were other factors involved in her lack of playing time, but it’s a stark reminder that teams are prioritizing experience at that position.
It only takes one team in the market for a second setter to believe in her future as a developmental piece or a capable break-glass option in case of injury. It seems likely that after the expansion to ten teams takes place, there will be at least one or two in that market. The argument to pick Haworth for that role is simple. The team may not see her as starting-capable straight out of the box, but she can offer utility as a serving specialist in the meantime.
”I’d love to improve at every single thing,” she said.
“I just know I want to continue playing volleyball.”
Some quotes were lightly altered for clarity. You can read a full transcript of the interview here. Watch full Indiana games here and here.