Upperclassmen help lead volleyball's youth movement

The Terrapins volleyball team is stuck in a deep rut. Mired in a five-match losing streak as their roster has dwindled to only 12 active players, the Terps have won just three of their last 11 matches. The near-future doesn't look much better, either: Matches against ACC heavyweights Florida State and Miami loom this weekend.

Coach Tim Horsmon, however, believes his team's struggles all stem from one issue: youth.

"It's all about these kids learning how to win, because they don't have that experience," he said. "We have a lot of young players, and not many upperclassmen to lead them."

The Terps (9-12, 3-6 ACC) have just three available upperclassmen on the roster in senior outside hitter Maddi Lee, junior setter Remy McBain and junior middle blocker Caitlin Adams. Adams is also in her first year as a Terp, having transferred from Texas A&M last year. Three sophomores and six freshmen comprise the other nine available players.

With his team's makeup, Horsmon said, the lack of experience points to a need for leadership.

"The leaders and the captains on this team, and the upperclassmen, are trying to figure out how to lead," Horsmon said. "They want to make this program their own, and they have those expectations to do so. But that can't always come from the coaches. I think the first couple of years [for them], it did, and I think they're starting to figure out that it needs to come from them if they want to be good at the level that they want to play."

McBain, the team's primary setter, is doing all she can to fill that role. She recently ascended to fifth all time in assists in school history, a testament to how crucial she is in the offensive flow.

Off the court, McBain, along with Lee and other returning players, developed ways to acclimate the freshmen to the team before the season began.

"We made them earn their practice shirts so they understood what it meant to be on our team," she said. "We did many team-bonding experiences, as well."

Only three upperclassmen might not be enough, however. Senior setter Sharon Strizak has been sidelined with a knee injury this season, and the Terps' lack of depth became painfully obvious when freshman outside hitter Ashleigh Crutcher sat out two weeks ago with concussion symptoms.

"I think they're feeling a lot of pressure from [the injuries]," Horsmon said. "They're feeling like they need to do a little bit more than what they're comfortable of doing. You got players playing a little out of position and doing some things that they shouldn't have to do, but that's part of the game. There are a lot of teams going through this, and we need to be better for it."

The team's razor-thin lineup is, however, opening doors for freshmen. Freshman Catie Coyle, who had appeared in just one match beforehand, saw the floor against Duke on Saturday. The middle blocker recorded three kills and three blocks after having accumulated little game experience before the match, perhaps hinting at the potential that lies on the team's bench.

"We have a lot of good, young kids on our team that we're building," Horsmon said. "The upperclassmen and the young kids are all part of that, so whether they're learning from them or those opportunities arise for the young kids, they need to take advantage of them and execute."

Experience still leads the way in guiding the younger players. McBain and Lee, the only active players on the squad to have played more than one year in a Terp uniform, understand the importance of their roles on the team.

"Being upperclassmen, we're expected to make the bigger players and take the pressure off the younger girls," Lee said. "It's part of our job description to do that."

munson@umdbk.com