Maddie Fischer, a junior from Minerva, Ohio, is a force to be reckoned with as an outside hitter on the women’s volleyball team.
As a captain for the team, Fischer is constantly balancing her leadership role with off-the-court involvement in Tri-Beta as a training room employee, and as a Student Athlete Advisory Committee representative. She also excels in the classroom as a biology major and computer science minor, with hopes of attending graduate school after Wittenberg, and possibly taking a graduate assistant position.
“The time commitment of playing volleyball can be challenging at times but it teaches you so much about time management and balance in life,” Fischer said. “It’s definitely worth every second when you get to take the floor with your best friends.”
This year, Fischer was able to experience Wittenberg Women’s Volleyball’s tenth consecutive NCAC win as the conference tournament MVP. After the NCAC championship, she traveled with the team to Calvin College for the NCAA Regionals, winning 3-0 against Bethany College but falling 3-2 against Millikin University. With that, the volleyball season has ended, yet Fischer has big plans for the team going forward to maintain the winning tradition.
“My goal going forward is to create a competitive and fiery team environment,” Fischer said. “I hope to keep our team cohesion as well because the best feeling is playing games not just for yourself but for your teammates and this awesome school.”
Fischer raves about how her teammates are the best friends she could ever find, and they are the most enjoyable part about being a member of the volleyball team. All of her best memories of Wittenberg involve her teammates. Her favorite memory so far is the trip the team took to Spain last summer. They got to play international teams and explore a foreign country together, making for a great bonding experience.
She also has goals for herself going forward, such as improving her leadership skills and developing as a well-rounded person. The pride Fischer feels when wearing the Wittenberg red shows through while she works hard to reach these goals every day.
“I am most proud of my development as a person so far in my college career,” Fischer said. “[Coach] Paco does a great job of teaching the ‘wholistic’ game and it really shows in his players. I’m glad I was given the opportunity to play for him the past three years and really improve my game on and off the court.”
The countdown to next volleyball season begins and Fischer will surely shine as a key senior in Coach Paco Labrador’s game plan.
