C-G’s Mainzer finds her niche

Cary-Grove senior Sam Mainzer prepares to bump the ball at volleyball practice recently at the high school. (Amanda Schwengel - aschwengel@nwherald.com)

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CARY – On a roster filled with outstanding hitters, hitter Sam Mainzer began to stand out for something else.

Mainzer, the subdued cog in Cary-Grove’s back row last season, spent most of her volleyball career smacking balls and delivering good passes. Her defense was solid, but her serve-receive skills made her an ideal back-row hitter.

Those skills, coupled with her personality and versatility, turned Mainzer into the piece of C-G’s state championship run the Trojans could not have done without.

Mainzer put her natural position on the shelf in favor of playing libero, expected to anchor the back row, play the Trojans’ best defense and pass with efficiency all the time.

After helping the Trojans to an IHSA Class 4A state title last November, Mainzer has found her niche as libero.

She will return this season as C-G’s full-time starting libero – now the spot on the court the senior calls home.

“My height really was always a problem for hitting,” said Mainzer, who at 5-foot-9 is 3 or 4 inches shorter than the Trojans’ primary hitters. “I never had played [libero], but I had always been a good back-row passer and serve-receiver. ... Now it just feels like the back row is where I belong.”

C-G coach Patty Langanis first started to notice Mainzer’s serve-receive skills and defensive ability in practice, when her hitters consistently wanted to serve to Mainzer because she returned and passed so effectively.

Mainzer got the nod to start at libero last October and held the spot for the rest of the season.

“I always tell my players to put me in a position where I look silly for not putting you on the court,” Langanis said. “When Sam got the opportunity, she shut the door.

“ ... She adds a lot of emotional stability back there. She never goes down; she’s got these nerves of steel. Even during the state finals, she’d shank a couple balls but her demeanor never would change.”

Mainzer has spent the offseason working solely on libero responsibilities. The libero – meaning “free” in Italian – can enter or leave the game without the substitution counting toward a team’s allotment, and they often are on the court for an entire match. Liberos can be moved anywhere in the back row coaches choose, unlike defensive specialists and the other four players on the court.

Mainzer’s responsibilities didn’t include serving last season, but Langanis expects her to serve this year, and Mainzer has responded with a solid jump serve to accompany her other skills.

Her confidence on the court should coincide with an offense not significantly affected by graduation.

Although the Trojans’ lost standout setter Abbey Heredia, they had Indiana University-bound setter Colleen Smith at right-side hitter last season and will move Smith into her natural position this year. Senior outside hitting sensation Kelly Lamberti returns, as well as junior standout Ashley Rosch, the team’s middle blocker.

Middle blocker Colleen Hargrove and outside hitter Kayla Klinger, who both graduated, should be replaced by players from the sidelines last season, Langanis said, and there are promising players just entering the program, as well.

Selflessness, like last year, will be key.

“That’s what this team was all about,” Langanis said. “ ... These girls care more about the team than themselves.”