A major reason Baylor’s volleyball team is hosting Father Ryan this afternoon at 1 in a Division II-AA high school volleyball sub-state match is because of some work done during the year in perceived minor roles.
The Lady Raiders have a favorable amount of star power at the net, and they’ll need those players to perform well if they are to get past the Lady Irish and advance to the state tournament Wednesday through Friday at Murfreesboro. But would they be positioned as the No. 1-seeded team from the East/Middle Region if not for players such as first-year setter Rebecca Schmitt and libero Katelyn Armstrong?
Coach Sarah Lail thinks not.
“Rebecca brings a lot of leadership and a lot of intensity to our team,” Lail said. “She runs our offense really well. She does a good job of studying our opponent and not only tries to help maximize what we can do but minimize what they’re able to do on their side.
“Katelyn is our defensive spark. She’s a go-all-out fireball. That’s in practice or on the court. She’s really embraced the libero position. She told me, ‘That’s my jersey and I’m not going to let anyone else wear it.’ No one has taken it from her, either.”
Schmitt is a self-confessed “encourager on the court” and got playing time as a defensive specialist last season as a junior. She wasn’t new to setter because she had played it on her offseason club team, but she was an understudy at Baylor.
“Last year Leslie Franklin was our setter, so she was our leader on the court,” Schmitt said. “I learned a lot from just watching her. She had great confidence. She led the team very well – vocally and through her actions.”
Schmitt hasn’t merely stepped into a new role on the team; she’s flourished. With 761 assists, she leads the Chattanooga area with an average of 8.7 per game.
She also realizes the luxury she has with teammates such as junior middle hitter Nicole Sumida (427 kills) and sophomore outside hitter Rachel Travis (374 kills). Factor in the contributions of another lesser-acclaimed Lady Raider, sophomore middle Madeline Rose (167 kills), and “I can’t go wrong,” Schmitt said.
Armstrong, whose 510 digs are 168 more than the next-closest Lady Raider, will have an important duty against the fourth-seeded Lady Irish and their productive middle hitter, Shannon Carr. But fulfilling a crucial job is the norm for Armstrong and Schmitt, the team captains.
“The whole team voted for two people and had to give reasons why,” Armstrong said. “I’m very grateful they recognized me as a leader. I defintely like it. I want to be there for them.”
Baylor (29-11) beat Father Ryan 3-2 on Sept. 24 and managed to do it without Travis, who was sick. That was nice, but not good enough for the Lady Raiders, who Schmitt said have had the goal of getting back to the state tournament from the moment they were ousted last year.
“Father Ryan kicked us out and we were up two games,” Armstrong said. “We were very upset. That’s our motivation.”