Volleyball

Incoming volleyball transfer Cassie McLaughlin began spring quarter with a hectic schedule and barely enough time to manage.

After spring break she moved into McCulloch Hall, attended practice and started her first class, all in a whirlwind of three days she called “pretty overwhelming.” But McLaughlin didn’t mind. This was a fresh start, a chance to put behind a season of adversity.

“Being happy is my main goal now,” the sophomore said.

Last fall, for the first time since beginning volleyball in ninth grade, McLaughlin didn’t enjoy the game. She was the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA East Region Freshman of the Year — an honor she earned after leading the team in kills and service aces and finishing second on the team in digs — but as the season progressed, she spent more time on the bench than the court.

The sophomore appeared in just 60 of her team’s 109 games (29 total matches), an about-face from her freshman year when she started 32 of 33 matches and made appearances in all but one of her team’s 123 games. She said she was unhappy with her coaches, namely head coach Todd Kress and first-year associate head coach Rita Buck-Crockett, objecting to their overbearing styles and fiery tempers.

About McLaughlin’s playing time, Kress declined to offer specifics, though he said: “It’s just a decision my staff and I made. Every night we go to look who’s going to make us better … we look at every facet, we look at everything when considering playing time.”

But some of the coaching staff’s decisions were lost on the players. According to some, they were known to scream, throw things in anger and single out individuals.

“It was pretty bad,” said Florida State freshman Danielle MacDonald, who left the team over winter break. “It was to the extent where we were coming home crying after every practice, every game. We hated our lives. We’d go to our games and sit around and do nothing.”

McLaughlin and several of her teammates found the situation bewildering.

“I was unhappy with volleyball, and I let that affect my life,” said McLaughlin, who previously partook in the vibrant Florida State social scene by going out, playing beach volleyball and attending sporting events.

But last fall, “everything was miserable.”

“I just don’t think she thought the situation was fair down there,” said McLaughlin’s father, Michael. “Consequently, she wasn’t happy.”

Florida State junior Jessica Skower, who roomed with McLaughlin in the fall, said McLaughlin has a “bubbly personality” with a “zest for life.” For a person who was known to crochet scarves for teammates on roadtrips — McLaughlin has made more than 50 in all — the knock-down, drag-out style of the Seminoles volleyball program simply wasn’t going to work.

“It was so difficult,” Skower said. “I was with her every day, and she would be so upset … It was hard for me to see her go through that, knowing I couldn’t do anything for her.”

At the beginning of winter break, the 6-foot-1 outside hitter/middle blocker requested a transfer, which was soon granted. She began thinking about the other programs that recruited her out of Cary Grove High School in Cary, Ill.

One in particular stood out.

On the first day of Northwestern’s winter quarter, McLaughlin decided she would transfer to NU, effective spring quarter. It was for all the basic reasons: the school’s academics — a former criminal justice major, she’s now in communication studies — its proximity to her house, the Big Ten competition and the players and coaches.

“I really like the team, I fit in pretty well and we all get along, which is nice,” McLaughlin said. “(On the court) they’re still feeling me out, as I’m feeling out the system. We’re building a relationship right now, and that’s the key.”

McLaughlin was also excited about joining the rebuilding process at NU. Last season, several youngsters played significant roles — four freshmen started at various points last season, including outside hitters Courtnie Paulus and Lindsay Anderson (who played with McLaughlin in the club circuit), and Stephanie Jurivich, who is expected to take over setting duties.

Despite the apparent depth, NU coach Keylor Chan said McLaughlin will contribute to the team.

“With what she’s shown us, we think she has a bright future,” Chan said. “She can play lots of roles on our team, a little bit of everything — everything except setting. She can’t set.”

McLaughlin played with the Wildcats this spring, where she made a few starts and contributed significant minutes. Chan said McLaughlin “did a great job and definitely earned playing time,” but said her adjustments to the new team are still ongoing.

There’s also the ordeal of learning a new campus and meeting new people. But from the look of things, things are going just fine.

“I’m completely back to normal, being happy again, which is really good for me because I was so unhappy at Florida State,” McLaughlin said. “I was miserable. Now I’m a lot happier.”

Reach Anthony Tao at [email protected].