Seniors Lifting SMU Volleyball To New Heights

Not many know the journey of SMU volleyball into the nationwide highlight fairly like Jentry Lamirand and Casey Batenhorst.

The two seniors dedicated to the Mustangs in August and September of 2020, 17 months earlier than Sam Erger was employed to be the brand new head coach. They have spent all 4 years at SMU and witnessed the rise of this system from the within.

“Thinking back to it, I signed with the old coach, and SMU has always been a solid program, but never been ranked that high or had this much success,” Batenhorst stated. “So coming in, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting with Sam being a new coach. I didn’t know her too well yet. However, after, like, a month or two of being here, she’s very dedicated, very driven, and recruits great people. I don’t know if I would have thought we would be ranked seventh in the nation and all that type of stuff, but I knew that this program was going to exceed its limits.”

Batenhorst and Lamirand had been the one two freshmen in that class, and within the age of the switch portal, they stayed collectively via all of it. 

In their time, SMU has received a convention title, entered the rankings, hosted NCAA event matches and been ranked within the Top 10.

“I wouldn’t have made it through without that girl,” Lamirand stated of Batenhorst. “She brings the life of the party everywhere she goes. She’s just so bubbly, easy to be around. She takes your mind off the hard things. The problems have been different every year. You’re always going to run into some bump in the road, but Casey has stayed the same throughout our four years, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that, because she helped me get through it, and we helped each other get through it together.”

It could be straightforward to waver. No two years have been the identical for the Mustangs. The roster has been ever-changing, SMU has modified conferences and it has lifted itself into the nationwide highlight.

The Mustangs went from simply making the NCAA event to internet hosting event matches and from beating Top 10 groups to being a Top 10 staff.

“It’s been super fun just getting to see, getting to be a part of all aspects. All four years, it’s been completely different,” Batenhorst stated. “… It’s just been really cool to watch and watch this program grow and watch even higher recruits keep getting recruited and coming to SMU because of all the success we’re seeing.”

Plenty of that has been constructed on what Batenhorst and Lamirand have completed and meant to this system. 

“Casey and Jentry have been a coach’s dream,” Erger stated. “You need rock-solid kids like that. Look at what they’ve been a part of building here. They’re the most successful Mustangs to go through SMU volleyball ever. They’ve been here through a conference championship and multiple records broken — they’ve been a part of it all.”

Every 12 months has introduced a brand new problem and a brand new group of teammates to work alongside. And each time the Mustangs have taken on a problem, had success and set a brand new normal as a staff, it has completed the identical to the gamers.

“I feel like I’ve grown right alongside it, like who I am as a player, who I am as a person,” Lamirand stated. “So the development of the program has just developed me as a person. And both of them have been super challenging but also super fun and really, really special to be a part of.”

Last 12 months, the Mustangs graduated 9 seniors, and with solely two set to be on the roster, they received some added help. 

Along with bringing in seven true freshmen, bringing again two sophomores and including two extra sophomores via the portal, the Mustangs introduced in 4 seniors via the switch portal.

Averi Carlson, Malaya Jones, Jordyn Schilling and Madison Scheer joined the roster to deliver an added layer of expertise and management. 

“The group of seniors this year is absolutely amazing,” Batenhorst stated. “We mesh insanely well together. Sam uses this word a lot, but there’s a lot of synergy within us. And I think all our personalities balance each other out very well, all six of us, and we’re able to lead this team into maturity and success and finding all of our niches and how we can all have a role on this team. This senior group is special.”

The 4 newcomers have match proper in. They’ve embraced this system, the Mustangs have embraced them proper again and success has adopted.

“Malaya, Madison, Jordyn and Averi feel like we’ve had them for longer than a year. They have been such huge value adds and given more than they’ve taken,” Erger stated. “Every season is its own, and each new team writes their own chapter, so Malaya, Averi, Jordyn and Maddie are Mustangs just like anyone else, and they’ve given their all to elevate our program — and they have. Their commitment, leadership and talent have lifted us to the highest ranking we’ve ever held. We don’t do that without them.”

Jones was a everlasting fixture on the court docket throughout her time at Colorado State and has match proper in with the Mustangs. She is one among three gamers to start out each match and has performed each set this season. Her 346 kills lead the staff, and she or he is third in each digs (171) and blocks (64).

But it has been the work outdoors of recreation days that Jones has embraced this season as a senior.

“This place has just been so rewarding and has taught me so much about the game and how to grow even in my old age,” Jones stated. “And they just taught me how to be a leader and how to step into that role. It’s my first year being captain. I think it’s something I’ve always wanted, and I’ve taken on the challenge. I’ve just been really excited for what that takes, and it’s not just walking up to the ref and calling and flipping the coin. You’ve got to lead the young ones, and you’ve got to hold people accountable, even when they’re friends. And sometimes that can be hard, but I think that’s something I’m really good at.”

The SMU roster has 11 gamers from the state of Texas, with six of them being about an hour from SMU. Lamirand is on the sting of that group, coming to SMU after a profitable highschool profession at Decatur.

That means acquainted faces within the stands each trip.

“I feel like I need to say, like, a huge, huge, huge, huge thank you to my parents,” Lamirand stated. “In my four years here, they haven’t missed a single game, whether that be home or away. That support just means the world, because it was so unconditional, whether I was playing, playing good, playing bad, not playing at all, like they were always there with a smile on their face, ready for a post-game hug. So seriously, they mean the world to me. I wouldn’t be here without them.”

The six seniors will have a good time Senior Day on Sunday towards Virginia Tech. It shall be an emotional day as they’re honored, however nonetheless having six common season matches left, together with some extra residence video games, will assist reduce the blow. A bit of, at the very least.

“I’m really proud of myself and how I’ve grown this season,” Jones stated. ‘It’s undoubtedly been tougher than I may ever think about, but it surely’s what I requested for, so I could not be extra grateful for that stress and for that hardship. I’m excited simply to see how the remainder of the season goes. No matter what occurs, I’m doing it with a gaggle that I really like and that I’m going to be happy with on the finish of the day.”