Indiana University Athletics
View To A Kill – Saris Leads The Hoosier Way
9/13/2023 10:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- When Mady Saris goes for a kill, brace yourself.
It's gonna be spectacular.
Saris is a 6-1 junior outside hitter who imposes her will on the opposition, and woe to anyone trying to block her way.
She leads the Hoosiers with 94 kills this season, is approaching 800 for her career and was ruthless during last weekend's Stacheville Challenge in Tennessee. She totaled 36 kills in three match victories to join teammates Kaley Rammelsberg (tourney MVP) and Camryn Haworth on the all-tourney team.
This is a strong follow up to an impressive summer with the Canadian National team program which followed up a dynamic sophomore season.
If you believe coach Steve Aird, it's only the beginning.
"She's at the early chapters of a really good book," he says. "She has a ton to learn. If she stays healthy and keeps getting better, she will have an outstanding career."
Then Aird takes it a step further.
"She will play a long time. I'd be shocked if she doesn't play internationally and represent Canada."
You won't hear that from Saris, who defines success with a team-over-individual mindset that starts, she says, with winning the day, and if that seems like a cliché (okay, it is a cliché), that doesn't make it any less true.
"You take it one day at a time," she says. "You can't decide if you win or lose. It happens. Either the other team is better than you, or you're better. Either you're good enough, or you're not. Every little thing we do each day will determine the season."
Pressed about what she needs to work on, Saris says communication and confidence.
Aird says she's got that covered, and a lot more.
Saris's impressive plays comes from a foundation of international success. In 2018, her Canadian team won a silver medal at the North, Central America and Caribbean Volley Confederation (NORECECA) tourney in Honduras and qualified for the World Championships in Egypt in 2019. She earned a spot and trained with the Canadian National Excellence Program top 16 junior volleyball players in British Columbia in 2020.
Last summer, Aird traveled to watch Saris play with Canada.
"She was really good," he said. "Her confidence has come a long way."
Signs started last year, when Saris totaled 427 kills, which was a big jump from her freshman total of 268. Her 427 putaways were the most by a Hoosier since 2012.
"She had an unbelievable year as a sophomore," Aird says.
How did a Canadian player make it to Bloomington? Aird's range of volleyball recruiting connections includes Canada. Friends in Ontario told him about this high school player -- smart, skilled and athletic -- that he might like.
Boy, were they were right.
"We saw her play," Aird says. "We had her come to a camp. She liked it. We offered. She committed pretty quickly."
Saris says it was an easy decision.
"The campus is beautiful and it was a chance to play in the Big Ten. And Steve is big on family. That was important."
Coming from an athletic family -- parents Matt and Carla both played college basketball in Canada, and brother Braedon plays lacrosse at Princeton -- Saris understood the demands of athletic excellence, and academic commitment. She was and is, in every way, exactly what Aird wants in a Hoosier player.
"She's in the gym early," he says. "She stays late. She's the prototypical kid I want to coach. She cares. She's really competitive, and a really good human being. She has all the things lined up."
He pauses.
"I thought she'd be a really good player at this level. She proved me right."
Volleyball's team emphasis drew Saris to the sport. Working with Hoosiers such as setter Camryn Haworth, and outside hitters Morgan Geddes and Candela Alonso-Corcelles make it special.
"You can't do anything else without the person next to you," she says. "Cam can't get a set if I don't pass the ball. Morgan can't get a kill without Cam setting her the ball. Everybody has to work together."
It's worked well so far. IU (6-3) has dominated in its victories, and lost competitive matches to West Coast powers (RV) Long Beach State, UCLA and (RV) Washington during a recent California trip.
That's the Hoosiers' best start since opening 7-2 in 2019.
The reason, Saris says, starts with belief and chemistry.
"We've been working on relationships outside the court. That's reflected on the court and how cohesive we are as a unit.
"We have all different personalities. Grae [Gosnell] is really high energy. I'm low energy. It balances out in the perfect way on the court."
The Hoosiers thrive on going beyond the expected. Saris says that includes thanking team managers for their help and serving teammates after practice.
"It's those little things that will take us to the next level," she says.
It helps to have the strongest roster in Aird's six Indiana seasons. That includes Rammelsberg, whose 23 blocks in the Stacheville Challenge are IU's most in a three-match stretch since Awele Nwaeze had 27 in 2014. She added 25 kills, four digs and two assists en route to MVP honors.
Haworth had 32 assists and 10 digs in Saturday's win over Austin Peay. She's 106 assists away from becoming the 11th Hoosier to reach 2,000 in a career. She's also had an ace in 12-straight matches.
Libero Ramsey Gary added 38 digs in the tournament, giving her 110 for the season, the most by any Big Ten freshman and the most by a freshman in Power Five play this year.
Up next is this weekend's Florida trip where the Hoosiers will play Stetson, Miami of Florida, Jacksonville and Florida International before beginning Big Ten play Sept. 20 against Illinois.
"Conferences play differently," Saris says, "so playing someone like Miami will really challenge us. It's something we're looking forward to."
It's all designed to prepare IU for a Big Ten run. The conference is once again loaded. Wisconsin is ranked No. 1 followed by No. 4 Nebraska, No. 10 Minnesota, No. 12 Penn State, No. 15 Ohio State and No. 20 Purdue.
The Hoosiers are optimistic.
"We've got the right people," Saris says. "We just have to put it together."
