Some people are natural-born athletes. Others are made into successful athletes. Although the prodigies who often capture the spotlight, the MSU volleyball team is being led by a self-made star.
Junior co-captain Faith Steinwedell’s insight into the mindset of Caitlin Rance explains the secret to the senior’s success: work ethic.
“You can’t look at her and not want to work hard because that’s what she does all the time,” Steinwedell said.
After beginning her career in the sixth grade when she tried out simply because she was the tallest girl around, Rance came to Mississippi State looking to further her volleyball career. Rance said sophomore year was the turning point for her due to the addition of the new head coach, Jenny Hazelwood.
“When Jenny got here my sophomore year, she told me, ‘You can be great; you need to get better in the back row, but if you play all around, you will be dominant and needed on the court,'” Rance said. “That’s when I realized that she believed I could do it.”
It was this season when Rance was the only player to start every match for State and finished third on the team with 256 kills. Her junior year Rance paced the Bulldogs and was tied for second in the SEC with 403 kills.
Her senior year has seen even more dominance from the outside hitter. She leads the team with 280 kills, is tied for third with 12 service aces and is third in digs with 168. The ability of Rance to play the back row as well as the front row has been a key asset for the team. Hazelwood said the unique thing about Rance is her ability to make kills off of broken plays and difficult situations.
“She plays all six rotations, and we can’t take her off the floor,” Hazelwood said. “She’s an offensive threat from the back row and the front row, and she has become one of our top servers; she just brings so many things to our team.”
Watching Rance play can often be frustrating for opponents seeking to scout her because she does not always get her kills by slamming the ball as hard as possible; oftentimes, Rance places the ball in the open spot.
Her ability to hang in the air provides her time to see the court and make a wise decision. She can outlast the blockers in the air and hit where there is no court coverage. Rance credits the whole team for this aspect of her game.
“We do scouting reports before the game, so I know what’s going to be open, and usually there are people in the back row and sometimes the coaches telling me where to go,” Rance said. “I definitely always think about what’s going to be open and where the best chance to get the kill is going to be.”
An ability such as this takes time and effort to establish, and Rance’s story is an example of the reward of hard work.
Hazelwood said Rance is a self-made player who has made things happen for herself as she has grown during the past three years.
“One of the special things about a player like Caitlin Rance is her work ethic; I can honestly say there has never been a day that she has come to the gym and not given everything she has,” Hazelwood said. “She models what every coach would want a player to be like.”
Steinwedell echoed Hazelwood, saying Rance always goes as hard as she can, which inspires others to work as hard as they can.
“Rance is basically the most optimal type of leader that you want; she puts herself as a prime example to everyone, and she never gives up and always goes hard,” Steinwedell said. “She’s always going to be that voice on the court that makes sure everyone’s doing her job, and she always makes sure that she’s doing her job.”
This consistent work ethic has helped Rance move onto MSU’s top 10 kills list with 975 all-time hits. She is only 25 kills shy of becoming the 10th Bulldog ever to reach 1,000 kills.
In last weekend’s match against the Auburn Tigers, Rance set a career high with 26 kills and tallied her eighth double-double of the season, adding 14 digs. This one match is a prime example of Rance’s steady play throughout the season.
Whether the Bulldogs need a kill, dig or big serve, Rance has become the go-to player. Although this is obvious to opposing teams, Rance’s hard work and determination have proven to be unbreakable throughout her career at MSU.