From Red to Purple: Maddie Miller

 San Antonio - Ladyjack libero Maddie Miller has spent each of two years in two places.  Now, as the Southland Conference slate fires up for the final time for Miller - she will come full circle.  The current Ladyack libero began her career in UIW Cardinal red and now returns on Saturday to the McDermott Center that she used to call home.  It's not her first time back, but it will be her last time in San Antonio to wear her collegiate jersey.  

No matter the color of that jersey, one thing has been always true:  Miller is a back row anchor.  She was during her first two seasons at UIW, and is currently for SFA.  Miller came to San Antonio during the year that turned out to be former head coach Jennifer Montoya's last season at the helm of the UIW program.  "Honestly, I loved going to school here as a freshman", Miller said at breakfast early Friday morning  - the team still in Corpus Christi after a long two hour plus battle with the Islanders the night before.  "I loved all the girls that I got to meet and play with when I first came to UIW", she added.  We talked and traded names of players that she played alongside of and that I remembered from having called matches between SFA and UIW - including two that Miller herself suited up for in UIW colors.  "A lot of us left for various reasons, but I still keep up with many of my former teammates, coaches and assistant coaches", Miller said.  She specifically referred to current Cardinal setter Pilar Gonzaba as we chatted about the differences between her first and last two seasons.

Miller will step onto the floor Saturday with exactly 1700 career digs at the D1 level.  Two 400+ dig seasons as the libero for the Cardinals her first two years were followed up by a monster 2019 in Ladyjack purple which saw her scoop just five balls shy of six hundred.  That tally constituted the seventh highest dig season in recorded SFA Volleyball history,   That's pretty impressive considering that six of the top season marks belong to Stephanie Figgers and OJ Olson, two of the best liberos in program history.  At her current pace, Miller projects for somewhere safely above 1900 career digs, with an outside shot at the nice round number of 2000 if SFA can both play deep in the Southland Conference tournament and make a third consecutive NCAA tourney appearance.  

For some perspective, while Miller won't crack the career digs leaderboards at SFA having only played two seasons in Nacogdoches, only three liberos have ever tallied 2000 digs as a Ladjack:  the previously mentioned Figgers and Olson along with Maddie Hanlan.  Miller's career mark - if it were to have all been at SFA - would have currently ranked fourth all-time only behind those three ladies.  During 2019, Miller averaged 5.31 digs per set, a mark only bettered by Figgers - albeit three times.

In terms of demeanor, however, Miller couldn't be more far apart when compared to Figgers and Olson.  Miller is unassuming and not a loud person by nature.  She's plenty vocal on the floor to exhibit her queenship over the back row, but generally, Miller is more reserved and plenty humble - always allowing teammates the limelight.  Figgers and Olson both were folks you heard the minute you walked by any room they were in - cackling and howling most everywhere they went.

Since the institution of the libero position in women's collegiate volleyball, SFA has truly had some amazing athletes at the position:  Figgers, Olson, Hanlan, and add in Lexus Cain, who ranks fifth all-time in digs as a Ladyjack.  All things considered, it's amazing that despite only two years as our starting libero, Miller is right there in that conversation. Personally, I think because she played at another Southland school and we were all familiar with her before arriving in Nacogdoches, it gets easier to keep her in the conversation of all-time greats.  You see, Debbie Humphreys and current assistant coach Alisa Blair have a long history with Miller and her family.  There is a deep familiarity which actually makes it seem like Miller has been with us longer  than just two full seasons - even though this last one is being stretched across the fall and spring.

In fact, I wrote about Miller briefly while she was still in San Antonio,  After talking with coaches and watching her play a handful of times in 2017-2018, I wrote that I thought she'd be a candidate for Libero of the Year honors at some point in her upperclassman years.  Little did I know that it would be playing for SFA.  "A Diamond in the Rough" is what I referred to her as in my post picking my 1st Annual All-Sophomore Team" in 2018.  You can read the post at this link.  That same year, she was a "just missed" pick for my All-Conference Blog picks.

Nothing is "just missed" about Miller at this point.  Completely entrenched in the libero role, whomever wears the jersey in Fall 2021 will have big shoes to fill.. figuratively, of course, since Miller is 5'3"... maybe!  At least that's what we list on the team roster.  But, height is the only thing truly diminutive about Maddie Miller.  

Character, leadership, poise, intellect.. digging volleyballs to target?  No.. for all those things and more, Senior libero Maddie Miller stands very, very tall.

Photo Credits:  Tracy Gillett

From the Sideline: SFA 3, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 2 [Match Summary]

 Corpus Christi - Ladyjack Volleyball got a wild win on the Island tonight knocking off Southland Conference foe Texas A&M - Corpus Christi in five sets (25-19, 14-25, 32-34, 25-18, 15-9).  The win puts SFA at 13-4 overall on the extended 2020-2021 season while the Islanders drop to 2-1.  The match was the conference opener for each team.  The 'Jacks fought off a vicious offensive attack by Texas A&M - Corpus Christi as the home blues saw three players chip in 50 kills out of the 71 total that found the floor.  SFA had a tough time containing middle blocker Rachel Young, who throughout her tenure on the Island has been known for her efficiency.  Young killed 17 balls on just 30 swings to post a .367 attack percentage with  many of her winners off the slide on the right pin.  Senior outside hitter Chloe Simon wasn't to be outdone by Young as she tallied a match-high 19 kills while hitting an impressive .375.

SFA's offense was more balanced being led by freshman outside hitter Leah Powell with 14 kills.  Taya Mitchell had an around top-shelf performance as she posted 11 kills, 4 blocks and 4 aces.  Two of the aces came at very critical points in the match.  SFA rounded out their offense with Ariana Pagan falling one kill shy of double-double (9 kills, 11 digs, two aces),  Ielan Bradley chipped in 8 terminations and fellow freshman Ashley Procious had 6 as did sophomore right side hitter Payton Cerny.  All-in-all, the 'Jacks were out killed by the Islanders 71-59, but SFA was slightly more efficient holding the attack percentage advantage .279 to .242.

SFA returned to having a quality defensive match on the net after briefly struggling in that department last weekend.  SFA posted 12 team blocks compared to only three for Texas A&M - Corpus Christi.  Procious racked up 7 total blocks, with three of them being of the solo variety.  Cerny had a season high five block assists.  The battle of what might be the top liberos in the conference, Maddie Miller posted 19 digs and her counterpart  Carissa Barnes scooped up 24. 

In the first set, the 'Jacks fell behind 4-1, but then quickly righted the ship by going on a7-2 to run to gain the lead. The Islanders would tie it at 8 all, but then four straight points by SFA featuring kills from Pagan, Bradley and Procious and one of the aforementioned aces by Mitchell put the Ladyjacks up for good.  SFA stretched the lead to six and held on to win the first set by that margin at 25-19.

Set 2 saw the 'Jacks offense that had hit .273 in the prior frame struggle to run efficiently as strong serving by the Islanders and poor passing by the SFA back row allowed Texas A&M - Corpus Christi to make quick work of the set by a score of 25-14.  SFA came out flat in the set with the Islanders scoring the first six points to force an SFA timeout.  The break temporarily worked as SFA then scored four straight to draw close, but in the middle of the set Islander libero completely took over at the service stripe.  With her club up 9-7, Barnes proceeded to serve eight times and ace the Ladyjacks three times in a monstrous run that saw the Islanders push their lead all the way out to 17-7.  The aces picked on three separate SFA players which were credited with return errors:  Pagan, Miller and sophomore Kennedy Wright who made a brief appearance during the onslaught.  From there, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi continued to roll - leading by as many as a dozen at 22-10 late in the set.

Set 3 was one for the ages.  Easily the most competitive set, neither team could gain much of an advantage, but the Islanders held slim leads for the majority of the early phases.  A Kaylee Payne service error got SFA tied at 15 and from there the teams began slugging out points back and forth.  The set was tied consecutively at 19, then 20, then 21 before finally SFA gained the lead at 23-21.  After a Young kill, Islander setter Faith Panhans was called for double contact giving SFA their first set point.  From there on, the set got completely wild.  A Simon kill and another Barnes ace knotted the match at 24.  The see-saw battle went on and on with the score tied at 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32.  At one point in the chaos, freshman outside hitter Coco Gillett made a sprawling pancake dig that sent the SFA bench and the 'Jacks COVID-limited fan base into full furry. Another Simon winner and then a block by Islanders middle blocker Sam Dumity coupled with Panhans assisting ended the rambunctious set 34-32 in favor of the home team.  SFA had six set points thwarted by the Islanders during the energetic set.

Down two sets to one at that point, the young Ladyjacks then turned the tables on the Islanders and ran out to a huge early lead in Set 4.  As uncompetitive as Set 2 was in favor of Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, the same was true in Set 4 concerning the SFA dominance.  The Ladyjacks raced out to a 12-3 start featuring a long service hold by Taya Mitchell which included two consecutive aces.  The Islanders went on a mini 4-1 run near the end of the set to close to 20-13 forcing a Debbie Humphreys timeout.  From there, the teams traded points with SFA closing it out 25-18 - SFA getting their last three points of the set off of Islander service errors.

In the decisive fifth, SFA jumped out to a 6-3 behind three quick kills from Powell and two more from Mitchell.  Freshman defensive specialist Bryli Contreras then served five times to stretch the 'Jacks lead out to a whopping mark of 10-3.  Simon tried to bring her club back by tallying four kills in five rallies to close the Islanders to within four at 11-7.  A kill by Pagan, a service ace by 'Jacks freshman Maddy Bourque and two Islanders errors sealed the set 15-9 for SFA and completed the 2 hour and 15 minute marathon.

SFA travels to San Antonio on Friday for practice and then will face off with the Cardinals of Incarnate Word on Saturday with first serve scheduled for 1:30 PM.  The match will be carried live here at SFA VolleyBlog Radio.

Shining Purple Lights On: Allie Hamsher

 For audio of the entire interview with Allie Hamsher click here.

 There are times during a program's history where a player and a position become synonymous for a long stretch of years.  To wit, Lauren Railey at outside hitter during the middle '00's.  Then, there is the greatest libero to ever wear purple - Stephanie Figgers - during that same basic era.  The record book is full of the name Aubrey Duncan as a defensive force during the early 1990's. Two setters that quickly come to mind are JJ Jones during the same time frame as Railey and Figgers and the recently graduated Ann Hollas.  I've been fortunate to see some of the great SFA setters play their entire careers.  I didn't see Wendy Walling (1990-1993) or Bianca Aranda (1995-1998), but I saw all of the Jones and Hollas years along with the time Marissa Dorcheus (1998-2001) ran the club.  I personally called virtually all of the matches Paige Holland (2011-2014) was a part of during her Ladyjack tenure.  Dorcheus, now Marissa Avery, and I still occasionally intersect on social media and she was the SFA setter during the time that I first began attending Ladyjack Volleyball matches.

So, why the archival lesson? Because SFA is always looking around the corner hoping to discover "our next great setter".  At present, my thought process is that we have a trifecta of setters that collectively achieve greatness.  This isn't meant as a slight to any of the individual players that make up the 2021 setting roster, but instead I see the combination of our setters as merging in a unique way since they each bring different qualities to the table to achieve their effectiveness.

When Hollas graduated, that automatically meant that we were going to have a "new" setter in 2020-2021.  This because Margaret Dean also committed as a graduate transfer to Mississippi State back in April of last year.  Dean is currently playing out her last year of eligibility in Starkville.  

So, rather than put all the eggs in one basket, the coaching staff brought in transfers Allie Hamsher, a decorated JUCO two-year athlete from North Central Texas College (NCTC) and Malgorzata "G" Andersohn who had spent her first year at Arkansas State.  The wisdom in those signings was the experience factor.  Hamsher already had success at a lower level and was ready for a step up and Andersohn had gained experience by appearing in all 30 matches for the Red Wolves, who play in a conference comparable to our own.  Those two join freshman Maddy Bourque to give the 2021 version of SFA Volleyball a veritable three-headed setting machine that can interchange parts fluidly and efficiently.

The interview linked to above is with Hamsher, who has emerged as the leader of the aforementioned crew primarily due to her experience and consistent productivity.  As of this writing, Hamsher leads the club in assists and assists per set and has appeared in more sets during 2020-2021 than either of the other two quarterbacks.  Hamsher has also proven to be a deadly server, racking up 17 so far on the season, four of which came last Saturday against Tulane.  Behind libero Maddie Miller and six-rotation outside Ariana Pagan, Hamsher also ranks third in digs for the Ladyjacks.

One of the portions of our chat that I absolutely loved was when I asked her to compare and contrast herself with Andersohn and Bourque.  Her answer was exquisite and framed exactly in the way that my mind had processed the three of them to this point in their time with us.  Pay particular attention to her phrasing in answering this question around the 8:00 mark in the interview.

Something that folks in my line of work always do is observe.  People who call matches are always watching. We take note of the smallest of things in order to constantly add to your familiarity of the athletes that you are going to discuss and showcase when on a broadcast.  One of things I've really noticed about Hamsher in matches, practices and even in brief off-the-court situations is that she is emotionally invested.  She brings a lot of energy and joy to the position.  Sometimes, on air, I refer to this personality as what I call a "warm setter".  By her own admission, she's not the cold and calculating technical setter, but instead delivers a quality ball while mixing in the right dose of fire and energy (warmth) for her offense.  

I think the time playing meaningful minutes for a club that had a lot of success at the JUCO level has really helped Hamsher slide over into her role this season at SFA.  She's steady and personally very likable.  That personality blends well with her attackers on the floor and with the entire club when they are not in competition.  She's vocal and authoritative and that's a positive quality in a setter if kept under control - which her poise allows her to do.  She instantly finds herself as one of the most experienced collegiate players on the roster being one of only three upperclassmen.  So, she needed to come right in and lead and garner faith from the rest of the younger, more inexperienced freshmen and sophomores.  It's clear that she has their trust.

Amazingly, you'll learn when you listen to the interview that she almost let volleyball go during her final year in high school.  Given the talent she possesses that surprised me a bit, but it points to maturity.  She was comfortable considering the possibility that her playing days might be running their course, but opportunistic enough to take advantage of an offer that would allow her to see if she could still produce at a high level.  I often tell students that "opportunity begets opportunity" and that's exactly what happened with Allie Hamsher.  The chain reaction of opportunity from high school to NCTC and then to SFA has carried her further than her high school self had the wherewithal to imagine three years ago.

I think you'll enjoy listening to the chat.  More importantly, I think you'll enjoy Allie Hamsher running a portion of our offense for the next two seasons.  It was a delight to sit and talk with her.

"Shining Purple Lights On:" is a new weekly interview series that will showcase an athlete, coach or team personnel member associated with SFA Volleyball.  It's your chance to learn a little more about a member of the current Ladyjack Volleyball family.

Photo Credits: Tracy Gillett

Next Week:  Bryli Contreras