Every year, no matter the sport, a freshman breaks onto the scene and doesn’t seem affected by the collegiate transition and produces at a high level.
Freshman right side/outside hitter Maranda Theleus has been that player for the Colorado Mesa University volleyball team. In the previous three games, Theleus has 125 kills with a .219 hitting percentage and she is also fourth on the team with 1.84 kills per set.
“Her consistency as an attacker has stuck out to me, she does a really good job and she doesn’t get caught up in the moment, depending on who she is playing and what the score is, she just is always pretty consistent,” CMU Head Coach Dave Fleming said.
Theleus has started more than 70 percent of her collegiate games, and has been a great balance to Camille Smith and Kasie Gilfert in the middle. Theleus has stepped up in the offense and on defense and has solidified herself as a big part of this team’s future. The West Palm Beach native has come into her freshman campaign and hasn’t shied away from the spotlight and has seemed to embrace it to a point.
“Maranda surprised me with how well she transitioned to college volleyball. As a freshman, it takes a little time to get used to the huge block or being far from home and she has handled it very well,” Senior setter Samantha Ritter said. “I would say if there was one person on our team that remains calm and always having fun, even in high-pressure situations, it’s Maranda.”
Theleus is one of four people on the team to have more than 100 kills, and she has fit in perfectly to the change of pace role she is playing with Gilfert, Smith and Scherr. Theleus is also left-handed and is a perfect fit for the right side and she can pick and choose exactly where she wants to place the ball. Theleus had two back-to-back games against Chadron State and Colorado Christian where she had a combined 24 kills in the two CMU wins.
“She has got a really good attitude, she is always positive, and she is just super consistent. Some kids are really high one day and really low the next, and I think that stability coming from a freshman is really good,” Fleming said.
As a teammate, Theleus is one of the best you can ask for. She praises her teammates even when she deserves the credit sometimes. The best teammates in any sport are those that play for others instead of their own stats, and that is exactly what the Suncoast graduate does.
“My favorite part about playing with Maranda is how she’s always has a positive attitude and she cracks me up every time I am with her. She is a great teammate and praises other people when she is playing awesome,” Samantha Ritter said. “She is just someone you want on the court battling with you and she has the qualities you look for in a great friend.”
With a 1.37 through her first season so far, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, Theleus has is on the right side of the formation, but she can play anywhere on the court and is incredibly athletic and has all the tools to be a dominant force in the RMAC for the next couple of years.
The Mavericks have looked to Theleus to take the pressure off the rest of the offense, and she has done just that and more. Theleus hasn’t looked like a freshman this season because her calm mentality on the floor and her athleticism is unbelievable. When she jumps to go up for a kill, if the block jumps at the same time, the blockers will come down before Theleus attacks.
She has put the RMAC on notice this season because she has been tearing defenses apart with her accuracy and velocity hitting the ball.
