With a combined 349 kills through 15 games, Kasie Gilfert and Camille Smith have been the driving force behind this Maverick volleyball team.
“If they do it right, they can’t be stopped. Them doing it right, it means the pass and set have to be there, but we feel that if everything is going well and they are doing it right they can’t be stopped, and once you have that it opens up everything else,” CMU Head Coach Dave Fleming said.
Colorado Mesa University has opened the season 9-6, and despite the slow start, the two middle blockers have showcased why they were both All-American candidates last year and are making a strong case to get named again. Smith is the captain of the team in her final season as a Maverick, and Gilfert is a redshirt junior returning after leading CMU in kills in her first season with the team.
Every team needs a workhorse. The powerhouse to provide the extra oomph when they step onto the court. Luckily for CMU, they have two of them.
Gilfert is averaging 4.84 points per set, but she also has a hitting percentage of .392 as she has been dominant defensively and offensively. In two consecutive weeks, Gilfert had been named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week in 2019, and she doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. With 215 kills on the season, Gilfert is on pace to top her 413 kills and 4.31 PPS that she put up in 2018.
Smith was injured early in the Drury Invitational, but she only missed three games before getting back to the court and combining the dynamic duo again. Since Smith has entered the lineup again, the Mavericks are 5-2, and she has 70 kills over the last seven games as she adds a whole different look for CMU.
When both Gilfert and Smith are on the floor, the lineup for the Mavericks has been significantly more dominant because they have the two middles and a great supporting cast around them. Gilfert and Smith are more than just great volleyball players though, they are great teammates.
“They have helped me on the court with just being role models of encouraging those playing next to them to be better. They always hold the same attitude off the court as well,” CMU junior setter Ara Norwood, “Camille is always one that keeps everyone (especially me) calm but also fired upon the court. Kasie is the one I or anyone else can count on being able to go talk to if we need someone.”
Both Gilfert and Smith push not only themselves, but they also push everyone on the team to be better because they don’t stop working. Both players are the heart and soul of this Mavericks team.
Smith has come back from her injury and has played her role excellently and has shown her versatility playing the front and back rows. Smith is a walking spark plug and whenever she gets a big block in games, the whole team gets an energy and momentum spike.
“One of the things Camille brings is that when she gets it going and she gets her train moving with her energy, how contagious that is with the rest of the team when Camille gets fired up how quickly everyone else lights up around her.” CMU Assistant Coach David Skaff, “Kasie’s intangibles, you just know what you are going to get out of Kasie every day, she doesn’t have ups and downs, she is pretty consistent all the time. This is Kasie, we see this Kasie every day, we don’t see anything different from her.”
This Mavericks volleyball team has played with the next play mentality all season and it starts with Smith and Gilfert because they know that volleyball is a sport of runs and momentum swings. In volleyball you must trust your teammates are going to get the job done and understanding that the sets are long and giving up one point isn’t a big deal. No one on this Mavericks squad understands that better than these two.
