The Terrapin volleyball team started the year with three experienced players vying for time at outside hitter. No one expected a new contender to emerge.

Enter Maddi Lee.

The freshman from Clarksville started the year earning time off the bench and expected to spend the season getting acclimated to college play, but she has fought her way into competition for starting time alongside seniors Maggie Schmelzle and Mary Beth Brown and sophomore Michelle Kenning. And recently, Lee has come out on top.

“Maddi has done a good job of being able to step into that role and being that prominent outside hitter, which is what we need right now,” Schmelzle said.

All season, first-year coach Tim Horsmon has said, “The players that practice well and consistently come out to play are going to be the ones who stay on the floor.”

This philosophy, accompanied by the Terps’ (5-16, 1-8 ACC) season-long struggles, has led to lineup shuffles throughout the season. Schmelzle and Kenning were the main starters at outside hitter, while Brown lost much of her time and became a substitute. But no individual players took charge.

The stage was set for Lee’s rise up the depth chart.

The 6-foot-3 hitter had a breakout match against N.C. State Sept. 28. She came off the bench for 12 kills and five blocks – enough to earn a chance as a starter.

“I jump at every opportunity I get,” Lee said. “I want to get to the point where I can start every match to help the team win.”

Since then, Lee has been a regular presence in the rotations, starting six matches. No, she has not provided a cure to the team’s ills – the team’s losing streak continues and is now at eight matches – but her development has been one of the few bright spots in this stretch.

“We’re just kind of in that situation where we’re asking a little more than we would typically like from a freshman, but that’s just the situation we’re in,” Horsmon said. “And Maddi’s stepped up to the plate for us.”

She has 51 kills in the six matches since N.C. State, tied for most on the team since that match with middle blocker Katie Usher. In a loss to Miami Oct. 12, Lee led the team with a career-high 18 kills.

“One of the best performances of any of the freshmen I’ve ever coached,” Horsmon said. “I’ve coached several All-Americans, and Maddi had that kind of day.”

The other outside hitters have taken the competition in stride. Schmelzle said the team has improved as a whole thanks to Lee’s input at the crucial position.

Lee, too, said the competition has not hurt the team. In fact, she regularly seeks guidance from her older teammates.

“The older players are there to pick us up,” she said. “I know they’ve been through these situations that I haven’t been in yet, so I look to them to show me what to do and to lead us through it.”

But no matter how much she respects her teammates, in no way does Lee want to give up her starting spot.

Last weekend against Georgia Tech and Clemson, she came off the bench, though Horsmon said it was a matter of matchups, adding Lee will continue as a starter.

Yet lineups change every week – sometimes more on this team – because of Horsmon’s endless search for consistency. Lee cannot get too comfortable.

“We’re looking for players to put themselves on the floor every week,” Horsmon said. “But I don’t know if we’ve had too many who have taken advantage of that and said, ‘I’m going to have a chance to start and be that kind of player, and I’m not giving it up.'”

To prove she is “that kind of player,” Lee said she will work to improve at every practice. She especially wants to cut down her attacking errors – she has 64 so far this season.

“I’m picking up my energy,” she said. “I’m trying to hit at a higher percentage and technically working on the little things to get better.”

Horsmon believes if Lee continues to work hard and push herself, she will be a consistent starter for the Terps.

“If Maddi’s confidence continues to grow, she’ll be a great outside hitter here,” Horsmon said. “She just has that kind of potential.”

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