It’s not misplaced on Delaynie Maple that Indiana volleyball coach Steve Aird is a lifelong, struggling Toronto Maple Leafs fan.
If you happen to don’t comply with hockey, suppose Chicago Cubs till they lastly received the World Sequence in 2016.
“I made a joke, ‘Are you solely recruiting me as a result of my final identify is Maple?’,” she stated with amusing.
Properly, no, as a result of wanting profitable a professional match, Delaynie Maple has, up thus far, achieved about all she will be able to do in seaside volleyball. And it may need been some time, however Maple was a fairly good highschool indoor participant.
She graduated Thursday from USC, the place all she has on her seaside volleyball resume is 4 NCAA titles in 4 years, profitable virtually each postseason honor conceivable. That adopted a stellar Torrey Pines Excessive Faculty/membership profession.
The theoretical subsequent step can be to go professional full time on the seaside, the place she already has extra expertise than most 21-year-olds.
However …
She’s going to play for Aird, that aforementioned Canadian, the seventh-year head coach at Indiana.
“I’m primarily doing it this yr to first get a grasp’s (in sports activities administration) but additionally push myself in ways in which I wouldn’t right here,” stated Maple, who dedicated to play seaside at USC as a freshman in highschool.
“I’ve been pushed extremely at USC but it surely’s been snug in phrases that I’ve recognized the place I’m going the previous seven years, I’ve recognized my coaches since I used to be 14, I’ve recognized each woman I’ve performed with right here since I used to be in all probability 12 or performed in opposition to them. It was very acquainted to me, which is why this expertise has been so unimaginable at USC. It’s been the epitome of a second house.
“However I believe I have to go away from house for a yr and understand like I have to grateful for fogeys. I see them each weekend and I believe I’m taking that without any consideration. Go someplace in the midst of nowhere for a yr the place I’ve by no means been and check it and check out a brand new sport.”
Properly, not precisely. The 5-foot-11 Maple performed indoor at Torrey Pines with teammates who would transfer on to Division I, together with Yale setter Carly Diehl and libero Bella Chan, BYU exterior Sophia Callahan, Kraft, and Indiana setter Emily Fitzner, who completed her indoor profession at IU and transferred to USC to play seaside.
And, in fact, Megan Kraft, the 6-foot leaping jack who went on to turn into of the best NCAA seaside gamers ever and Maple’s USC associate the previous two years, the place they went 27-3 on the No. 1 place in 2023 and 35-4 this season.
Maple performed her first AVP match in 2018 and in 2019 at Huntington Seaside, at simply 16, she and Kraft turned the youngest crew to ever advance from the qualifier on the AVP Tour. The 2 received the 2021 FIVB Seaside Volleyball U19 World Championships in Phuket, Thailand.
Maple is an outdoor hitter who understands her function at Indiana might be on protection: “Serve obtain is like my favourite factor.”
She hasn’t performed organized indoor volleyball since her Torrey Pines crew received the 2019 state title. Enjoying in an open fitness center final summer time, “is actually what sparked my curiosity in going into the portal, that I’d forgotten how a lot I liked enjoying indoor.”
Indiana completed 21-12 final season, 11-9 within the Huge Ten, and there are 5 outsides on the 2024 roster, the place Maple is listed as considered one of 5 defensive specialists.
When she made the choice to spend a season indoors, she considered her outdated WAVE membership connections.
Rachel Morris, the Indiana affiliate head coach and recruiting coordinator, has been with Indiana two years, is a former WAVE coach.
Kevin Hodge, an IU assistant, was a teammate of Aird’s on the boys’s crew at Penn State, and was a coach and director of recruiting for WAVE.
“Inside two hours of going into the portal I texted Kevin, virtually as a joke, ‘I’m within the portal, when are you able to get me into Indiana?’ simply type of to mess with him,” Maple stated. “After which I assumed this might be a very cool alternative if it was one thing I needed to do.”
She spoke to Morris and arrange a go to and it went effectively.
Maple’s dad is from Chicago, however going there may be the extent of her familiarity with the Midwest. He inspired to go to Bloomington.
“And I’ve no plan but, as a result of the AVP is so up within the air for this yr, it was type of like an ideal yr for me to strive one thing new.”
Maple turns 22 on June 9, eight days after she arrives in Bloomington.
“I don’t know if I wish to return to seaside or if I wish to go to indoor, however I believe I’m going this to check out if I wish to return to indoor and see what alternatives are there for me. I do know I don’t wish to be achieved with volleyball subsequent yr and I do know there’s part of me that’s gonna wish to play so long as I can.
“So I’m attempting to determine what I wish to do by way of what realistically makes essentially the most sense for me.”
Maple, who has an eye fixed on being sports activities media each time she stops enjoying volleyball, stated the event of professional girls’s volleyball in America additionally acquired her consideration.
“I’m going to be surrounded by individuals I revered instantly, like Steve and assembly all these ladies. I’ve know Rachel and Kevin for years. These are individuals who will make me a greater human and a greater participant.
“So I’m simply doing it to check myself. We’ll see if I’m glad I did it. I’m certain there will probably be days I remorse it,” she stated with a smile, “however I believe I’ll be actually completely happy I did it.”
