Fans feel it coming. Opponents sense it's there. And coaches see it all too often. It is the letdown.

Weedsport volleyball coach Sandy Donahue, though, lucked out this season. Donahue does not have to witness a dreaded collapse. At least not from her team leader.

Heidi Robinson has too much energy for that. Robinson, a junior setter, would sooner add another foot on the pedal than take one off of it. Her get-up-and-go attitude has led to 99 assists on the court in just 11 games for the 8-3 Warriors. She is on pace for a school record.

“Coach told me the first week of practice that I needed to step up to the plate and be a playmaker,” Robinson said. “That was great for me. I love being the play maker.”

That first week of practice was everything to Donahue. In just her second year as varsity coach, Donahue was concerned about replacing setter Jessica James. Donahue had coached Robinson as a freshman on junior varsity. Robinson played in about half of the varsity games last season. Stepping into James' role would be a tough task for anyone. James had been the leader and strength of the Warriors for the past two seasons.

Robinson too, like Donahue, was looking forward to that first week of practice but for different reasons. She couldn't wait to become the focal point of the offense.

“Heidi went right up to the girls and asked each of them just exactly how they wanted the ball set,” Donahue said. “She has hands of gold.”

Those hands belong to a girl with unlimited potential, Donahue said. Robinson is among the team's leaders in aces and kills, in addition to her assists.

It has helped to have her friend and fellow setter Anna Wilson by her side. Donahue calls them her “ying and yang setters.” Wilson has shared some of the setting duties, enabling Donahue to run the 6-2 offense. The Warriors ran the 5-1 last season.

“Heidi has so much more room to grow,” Donahue said. “Her assist numbers are even more impressive considering she is sharing her duties with Anna.”

Robinson's growth from last season to this season is like night and day, Donahue said. It is not only her setting that makes her a standout but her hitting as well. With Wilson's ability to set consistently, Robinson has become more versatile. Donahue has moved her to different positions where she has excelled. Robinson moved to outside hitter in a win against Bishop Grimes and will continue to see more action around the net, Donahue said.

“We can move her somewhere else and not skip a beat,” she said. “She's that good.”

Robinson, though, can't get enough of her job as a setter. Her teammates are so talented, she said, she enjoys every opportunity she gets to set them up for a kill.

It's been Donahue's job to not only get Robinson to take advantage of every opportunity but to keep her calm out there.

Energy is a good thing but too much of it can lead to mistakes. Sometimes it is just a simple gesture that does the trick.

“She gives me the 'eye,'” Robinson said. “I can feel the look she gives me and I know I need to get in control. At times I may love the game a bit too much.”