Sarah Harper
After every play, the Terrapins volleyball team huddles on the court, discussing strategy and offering each other encouragement. Most players in the circle stand over 6 feet; middle blocker Catie Coyle stands an imposing 6-foot-4.
Sarah Harper is usually in the middle of the circle. Harper, a 5-foot-4 libero, is the shortest player and stands a full foot shorter than Coyle. Yet she is arguably the team’s leader.
When the Terps host University of Missouri-Kansas City, Penn and LIU Brooklyn this weekend in the first part of the Maryland Invitational, Harper’s likely to be looking up and shouting instructions to her taller teammates.
“She’s the head of the back-row,” outside hitter Mary Cushman said. “If you’re not getting it done, she lets you know. If you need to be somewhere — in a certain spot, in a certain ball — she’s going to help you out and tell you where you need to be.”
Entering this season, Harper’s 1,195 digs ranked eighth in program history. Three games and 57 digs later, the senior has jumped ahead of Bethany Springer into seventh place on the list.
In 2011, Harper recorded 569 digs, becoming the single-season program leader. Securing that total this season would give Harper 1,764 digs, good for most in Terps history.
“She’s worked incredibly hard,” coach Tim Horsmon said. “I would expect her to climb up that list. I think that’s something she’ll forever be proud of.”
Harper has risen on the Terps’ all-time list for good reason. She regularly sprints and dives all over the court, scrambling for loose balls. Whenever a play seems dead, the libero is there to keep the Terps alive.
The Charlottesville, Va., native was key in the Terps’ performance at the GW/Nike Invitational this past weekend. With the Terps facing a 1-2 deficit against Ole Miss, Harper had seven digs in the fourth set to help keep the Terps alive. At one point, she sprinted in front of the Terps bench and saved a ball while lunging over a coach.
Harper and Cushman are the only seniors on a team that has six freshmen and five sophomores. Harper has made it a point to take on more of a leadership role this season.
“We have a lot of young players,” Harper said. “I’ve been a lot more vocal this year. Throughout the years, freshman year, I didn’t talk at all.”
Harper has eased into the leadership role seamlessly. She is one of the hardest -working players on the team, Horsmon said.
“Probably, per-pound, she’s the strongest kid on our team,” Horsmon said. “There’s not ever going to be a ball that you see land around her without her making a great effort out of it … That’s how every player is supposed to play.”
The Terps open this weekend’s competition against UMKC on Friday, and then they will take on both LIU Brooklyn and Penn on Saturday. Amidst all of the excitement, don’t be surprised if the loudest voice at the Comcast Pavilion comes from the shortest player on the court.
“She’s the captain of our defense,” Horsmon said. “We can count on her as a leader, and what she’s doing and saying. She’s exactly the type of player you want in our program.”
