Women's Volleyball News

La Plata’s Rose joins Hawks volleyball
By Dallas Cogle
Maryland Independent Staff Writer
(Article Courtesy of Maryland Independent)

April 28, 2006 - The College of Southern Maryland has come up roses in its volleyball recruiting efforts this offseason — literally, when you consider the latest addition to the team.

La Plata senior standout Ally Rose informed CSM on Monday night that she is coming to the program to join an already talented squad, which includes four returners and seven newcomers.

Rose, previously intent on not continuing her volleyball career at the college level as she was planning to enroll at the University of Maryland by the fall semester, changed her mind due to the constant urging of CSM head coach Michelle Ruble.

And Ruble’s persistence in wanting Rose’s ability — among a recruiting class that the CSM coach describes as the best one, ‘‘without a doubt,” in her 15 years at the helm — paid off.

‘‘I was really hesitant about it at first, because there’s always a stigma that comes along with going to a community college,” said Rose, whose intentions are to transfer to Maryland for the next spring semester. ‘‘So I sat down with Michelle, and we talked about it. I knew if I didn’t do it, I would regret it.”

Ruble, who is also Rose’s coach on the Charles County juniors club, was not going to settle with no as an answer from her newest recruit.

‘‘Michelle wrote me a long e-mail of why she wanted me to play, and it meant a lot to me,” Rose said after receiving Ruble’s communication about 1 1⁄2 weeks ago. ‘‘I was actually dead-set against [going to CSM] because I wanted to get into the Maryland community up there. But I realized I had enough time to do that later.”

She used some humor to deliver her newly established plans to Ruble.

‘‘She gave me a call on my cell and said, ‘Coach, I have some bad news about college,’” Ruble relived, showing how Rose was trying to set her up in a misleading way. ‘‘Then she said, ‘I decided to go to CSM.’ We were laughing about it. I’m excited.

‘‘She’s been wavering for many months — whether to go to CSM or somewhere else. I’ve been sitting back and waiting, and I would ask her if she’s made a decision. I’d tell her how great the program is here. She’s coming here to play volleyball.”

‘‘Michelle is a great person to play for,” Rose added. ‘‘Our team is going to be really good. This is a great opportunity.”
Despite an array of skills on her reigning state- and regional- runner-up team, Ruble still felt another outside hitter was imperative in giving CSM its maximized potential to overcome a hurdle such as last season’s Hagerstown.

The 5-foot-9 Rose fit the recruiting need perfectly.
CSM was second to Hagerstown in the hunt for the state and regional titles, losing five times to the Maryland Junior College Conference rival, including in the regional championship.

Ruble has never clinched a national berth, coming close on numerous occasions, and light-heartedly calls herself the Susan Lucci of volleyball titles.

‘‘Athletically, she’s great and played middle [blocker] at La Plata,” Ruble said. ‘‘I see her playing the outside for me. I look for her to have the opportunity to play a very important role on the outside. Ally is very competitive and very coachable. Her leaping ability has been developed through her competitive skating. She has a nice vertical jump.”

‘‘I’m a pretty versatile player,” Rose said. ‘‘I’ve played just about every position in club and high school. I pretty much don’t care where I play. I’d play defensive specialist if she needed me to.”

Rose, who has received attention from an NCAA Division II Ohio school and several other Division III programs for her volleyball ability, increases CSM’s firepower across a potent frontline. The 6-3 Becca Steinbach (Leonardtown), a freshman recruit like Rose, stands alongside explosive sophomore returner Janae Burt (Great Mills) as CSM’s middle blockers.

Burt was the country’s seventh-best blocker last year with 1.89 per game, and her volleyball skills have received attention from NCAA Division I schools Southern University in Louisiana and Northern Arizona University, where she is looking to transfer after CSM.
 
Burt’s family is moving to Arizona on May 26, as her father is retiring there, and it appeared CSM was losing her services. But she has decided to live in the area through the end of next school year because of her love for the Hawks volleyball program.

‘‘My main reason [for staying here] is, since last year, my skills have grown tremendously. I have Michelle and the coaches to thank for that,” Burt said. ‘‘I’ve just had a lot of fun at CSM.”

The fun could continue in the form of wins next season, as Burt and fellow returners Virginia Smith (Thomas Stone), Rachel Olup (Stone) and Becky Peters (Leonardtown) welcome incoming recruits Rose, Steinbach, Julie McGaughran (Northern), Nikki Agambar (Huntingtown), Sara Young (La Plata), Allyssa Blackburn (Great Mills) and Cara Morton (Huntingtown).

‘‘I’m really excited she’s coming,” Burt said of Rose. ‘‘I think she’ll bring a lot to the team. Our frontline is going to be good. It’s going to be tough to play us. I really think we can go all the way to Arizona, [home of the national tournament], and make some noise at nationals.”

Trying to shed her regional-title bridesmaid reputation, Ruble is not done with her recruiting endeavors just because Rose is in the fold.

‘‘This is a very well rounded, talented recruiting class,” the CSM coach said. ‘‘But you know me, I’m greedy. I’m still going after one more hitter in case of an injury. I have 11 players on my roster, and our starting eight are very strong. But I can carry 14. Right now, I’m looking for depth.”
CSM will compete in 50 matches come the fall and has four tournaments scheduled early on in the season during September.

‘‘I know Michelle is an amazingly strong coach, and she has the ability to take a team that’s not necessarily strong and take it to a championship,” Rose said, speaking from experience as her juniors team won the 17- and 18-year-old regional championship a few weeks ago. ‘‘She’s taken a team of ragtag kids from all over the county.”

Rose had the regional-title-clinching kill for her juniors squad and was carried off the court on the shoulders of her teammates.

‘‘I really look forward to advancing my skill level [at CSM],” Rose said. ‘‘I also like being on a team that has the potential to win.”

‘‘I like how she’s cheery,” Burt said of Rose. ‘‘She just loves the sport.”

‘‘I’m a really eccentric person,” Rose added. ‘‘I feel I can not only help the team through my talent and strengths but also through my positive energy. I can bring leadership.”

Rose’s passion for volleyball is fueled by the memory of her late mother, who passed away almost two years ago at the age of 50 due to cancer. Rose’s mother, who was also her best friend, always encouraged volleyball. And Rose discovered her natural skills in the sport thanks to her mother’s vision.

‘‘In a letter [my mom] wrote to me, she said that if I didn’t play volleyball, I’d regret it,” Rose noted. ‘‘So I’m putting my mom’s words to use.”

Rose, who is also accomplished in the classroom, plans to study art history in college and possibly double major through Maryland’s business school. After getting a four-year degree, her next step will be to attend law school.