When Syracuse travels to away matches, junior Maddie Kobelt packs the team van, picking precisely where each bag goes. She gives teammates advice on the uniform they bring, and makes sure younger players arrive on time to leave for the match.

Kobelt’s teammates call her the “team mom” because of her travel routine.

“We do not get in her way when she’s packing up the van because she knows where everything is going,” sophomore Jimena Wu said.

Kobelt developed a caretaker mentality in the absence of senior leadership. After seniors Emily Harman and Alessondra Parra graduated in 2012, Kobelt and fellow junior Aleah Marrow took on a larger leadership role. She ensures her teammates’ success off of the court, and leads by example on it.

Ahead of the Orange’s trip to Illinois for Friday’s 5 p.m. match, Kobelt will be packing the van once again.

“Even when she’s playing, she’s great at pumping the team up and getting everybody involved,” associate head coach Shelley George said. “She gets everyone involved in her match, she gets involved in their matches.”

Head coach Luke Jensen called Kobelt the team lieutenant rather than team mom. Typically, the team captain takes on the leadership role, but the Orange has not appointed one this season. Each player strives to wear the No. 44 on her uniform, which denotes captaincy, Jensen said.

Kobelt has taken on a captain’s role as an extension of the coaching staff, Jensen said. Responsibilities like picking outfits fall to the players rather than the coaches.

“I’m not going to pick out the outfits for my team, they don’t want me to do that. That’s not my strength,” Jensen said. “We usually grant that to the captain, but because they’re upperclassmen, she and Aleah handle those things.”

Kobelt also looks after younger players like freshman Sophia Dzulynsky, who arrived at Syracuse this semester. She ensures younger players catch buses from South Campus to make class on time. Kobelt even advises the Floridian Dzulynsky on what to wear in the Syracuse winter, Jensen said.

“It’s a hard program to jump into,” Kobelt said. “So being able to lean on anybody on the team, not just me and Aleah, definitely helps.”

After losing its first five matches of the season on the road, Syracuse returned home for the first time for a match against Navy.

“She grew into a leadership role gradually. She was great at getting everybody fired up for that match,” George said. “She kept the team at a high level.”

The Orange responded, posting a 6-1 victory. Kobelt and Marrow dominated in an 8-2 doubles win. She fought back from a loss in the first set of her singles match for a 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 win.

The Orange has surged in three straight wins since the Navy match. Kobelt has played her best tennis recently, and her effort has rubbed off on her teammates, Jensen said.

Kobelt takes little credit for her leadership this season. She stresses that all players take on a role in leading the team, but she looks forward to having an effect in any way she can.

“It’s good for them to know they can come to us with anything,” Kobelt said, “that we’re supporting them and we’re right there with them.”

Published on February 21, 2013 at 1:57 am

Contact Jacob: jspramuk@syr.edu