Volleyball | 8/31/2023 4:14:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
Gabi Maas loves the chicken strips at Shocker Hall's cafeteria. Food is always a good place to start building friendships.
"With ranch," she said. "I'm like a child."
Meals on campus is where the Wichita State liberos began forming a bond among the ones who dive on the floor, take 60 mph spikes off their hands, and are generally overshadowed by their taller, bouncier teammates. Last spring, Maas transferred to Wichita State and her integration into the group of back-row defenders started with a simple invitation from teammates such as
Katie Galligan.
"She was always including me to come out with them, go to lunch with them, go to dinner," Maas said. "They always were willing to extend the invitation. They were like 'Hey, Gabi, come with us.'"
That all-together spirit continues this fall with Maas, a sophomore transfer from TCU, starting at libero. Wichita State (1-2) plays at Illinois (2-0) on Friday (5 p.m.) and Illinois State (0-3) on Saturday (1 p.m.) in Champaign.
Maas, a sophomore from Aurora, Colo., debuted with an average of five digs a set last weekend, highlighted by 25 in a loss to Texas Tech. While the Shockers gave up 22 aces in the three matches, they held the three opponents to a .168 attack percentage.
Being a stable back row is about more than meals. It's about support in tough times, constructive criticism, strategic tips and cheering the often-overlooked contributions of the littles.
"We all have each other's backs," said junior
Annalie Heliste, who recorded 10 digs against Texas Tech and seven against Notre Dame as defensive specialist. "We push each other and there's not one of us who doesn't work hard."
Maas jumped into those roles immediately in the spring. Coach
Chris Lamb loves her background of playing in a high-level club in Colorado and a season in the Big 12 with TCU. She sees the attackers and the court in ways that help her get to the right spots to keep volleyballs off the floor.
"Seeing her make plays and her consistently pass well has raised the bar for all of us," Heliste said. "As soon as she came in, we were like 'Wow, she's definitely elevated our group.'"
Lamb compares her instincts to former Shocker Giorgia Civita, the 2018 American Athletic Conference Libero of the Year.
"(Maas) reads very well, very mature," Lamb said. "When her platform touches the ball, the result is good. Accurate digging and passing."
That comes from her devotion to volleyball and its defensive skills, despite growing up in a baseball/softball family. Dustin Maas played baseball at Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) College. Jana Maas played softball at Snow (Utah) College and brother Jack played baseball at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, Colo.
"Broke my parents' hearts because I chose volleyball over softball," she said. "Softball is a little bit more individual. In volleyball, you can't do anything without your teammates. I need the blockers to dig. The hitters need the setters. The setters need me to pass. I fell in love with the team aspect of it and the sisterhood of volleyball."
Gabi Maas chose volleyball over softball in high school. She played similar roles – libero and catcher. Both positions are largely responsible for defense and athletes endure a physical toll that can go unnoticed. Both are involved in the bulk of the action on the field or the court.
"I love playing libero," she said. "I like to do the dirty work behind the scenes and let other people shine. My dad tried to put me on the pitchers (circle) when I played softball. Oh – I did not need all those eyes on me."
Maas prefers all eyes on the team, the reason she chose to make the back row her place.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
