With Sommer Ivory, Arlee Tamietti, Allyson Weissberg and Margaret Salata injured and currently out of commission, the Wolfpack switched up its roster to find players who could carry the weight. Two of the team’s shorter outside hitters, 5’8″ sophomore Kelly Wood and 5’11” senior Keri DeMar aim to progress as individuals and strengthen the team that has had to face new obstacles.

The loss of such dynamic players — the shortest two being 6’0″ and the tallest being 6’2″ — has proven to affect the team as a whole, but it has also greatly impacted DeMar and Wood individually.

Wood has had to transition from playing outside hitter, which she played in high school, to libero and back to outside hitter since the injuries of some of the team’s tallest players.

Wood, whose season high so far has been 17 kills, said the transition has been easier than she expected.

“I haven’t hit in so long, so [I’ve had to] get back into the step of things. I’ve had to switch my mindset [to that of an outside hitter] and get my body back into that rhythm,” Wood said.

DeMar and Wood both recognize that their heights, which are considerably shorter than the typical ACC outside hitter, could be seen as a problem.

However, both realize that with hard work, they can be just as influential on the court as their taller counterparts.

DeMar said that the shorter players will simply have to work harder to obtain the same results.

“Losing [the taller players] in general affects us. With them playing we’d have greater depth. But without them, we just have to work harder and come to practice every day,” DeMar said. “We have to use our skills to our advantage. It’s a loss for us, but we just have to come in and work harder.”

DeMar recognizes that height is an asset for the sport itself, but speaks out for herself and Wood as two of the team’s shorter players. DeMar believes that being able to “pick a spot really well” greatly impacts the success of players as individuals, and thinks listening to what their coaches say is key in picking up the slack for the injured players.

Coach Charita Stubbs said that her personnel decisions have not been affected as far as the injuries go, stating that they’re willing to “step up to the plate.”

She said she doesn’t believe the loss of players will be much of a hindrance as the team progresses through the season.
 

“It isn’t taller players who make the team, it’s the player itself. That has always been our philosophy,” Stubbs said. “We just go out and play our game, and take it one match at a time.”