Coming into the season, Lindsay McCabe didn’t have any expectations for herself. But she did have goals, and so far, she has done more than meet them.

One of those goals was to play an influential role immediately after taking the court for the first time this season as a freshman.

‘I’m really happy with the way I’m doing so far,’ McCabe said. ‘It was a goal of mine, not really an expectation.’

McCabe has stepped into the starting role at middle blocker and has been a key component of the Orange’s 16-0 start. In just her first season at SU, McCabe leads the team in attack percentage (.448) and is third in kills (93).

Even beyond her performance on the court, her teammates and coaches have been more impressed with her ability to stay consistent at all times.

‘She’s not a real up-and-down player, which is nice to have from anyone on the court,’ SU assistant coach Carol LaMarche said. ‘And then to have it be a middle is even better. I think she’s doing well.’

And she started doing well at the first possible opportunity.

Before even coming back to Syracuse for the home opener, McCabe was already getting attention for a strong showing at the Colgate Classic. In her first collegiate tournament, McCabe made her presence felt with 25 kills.

McCabe said she was nervous. But she put aside any of that nervousness and showed her teammates they have a reliable middle to set up for.

McCabe didn’t stop there.

She received all-tournament honors at the Fordham Tournament, where she put up a .527 attack percentage. This performance earned her Big East Player of the Week honors.

Possibly even more impressive than her actual performance on the court has been her ability to maintain her composure, whether she’s playing well or not. Something many freshmen aren’t able to do.

‘I would say that she’s a less emotional player than a lot of them,’ outside hitter Mindy Stanislovaitis said. ‘She plays a more consistent game straight across.’

Even though McCabe said she doesn’t think of it too much, she almost had to play this well. Especially since she’s taking over for an offensive threat in Sarah Morton, who graduated in May.

Before getting started with the Orange, McCabe didn’t have any apprehension of trying to fill the shoes of someone who meant as much to the team as Morton did. If anything, it gave her a more concrete goal. She saw an opening, and she would be the one to step up and take it.

‘With Sarah Morton graduating, there was definitely an opening in the middle,’ McCabe said. ‘There was a good chance, but I still had to prove myself once I got here.’

She’s proven she’s more than capable of taking the spot. And to this point, McCabe hasn’t given in to any pressure of having to fill the void.

And that performance at the Colgate Classic did more than just show everyone what type of player Syracuse has at the middle blocker position. It also let everyone know that not having Morton isn’t going to be a problem.

‘I think it was a good confidence booster for the team,’ LaMarche said. ‘They were able to say ‘Sarah Morton is gone, but we have Lindsay McCabe.”

Lofty expectations, no doubt, but the Orange coaching staff knows what McCabe needs to do to make that happen.

‘Honestly, I think she’s probably starting her freshman year better than Sarah Morton did,’ LaMarche said. ‘And when she develops her arm swing a little more, I think she’s going to be dominant.’

cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on September 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman