Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Sydney Stolearcius, MSU-N Volleyball

Sydney Stolearcius is a big city girl from north of the border. And while she is small in stature, she packs a mighty punch when it comes to playing defense on the volleyball court.

At just 5-5, Stolearcius, a sophomore libero for the Montana State University-Northern Skylights, came to Havre from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, two years ago. By college volleyball standards, she's not just small in size, but she's still young, too.

However, playing defense alongside four-year libero Holly Cartwright in what was a magical 2013 season quickly helped turn Stolearcius into one of the veteran leaders on Northern's young 2014 squad.

Stolearcius, who totaled 309 digs as a freshman, and who already has a team-high 179 this season, started playing volleyball in middle school and she hasn't stopped. She played other sports, like fastpitch softball, track and field and even badminton, but a meeting with Northern head coach Bill Huebsch her sophomore year of high school inspired her to become a full-time volleyball player, and is eventually what landed her in Havre. From there, her skill set and tenacity earned her a starting spot on Northern's 2013 Frontier Conference championship team.

"I really discovered that I liked volleyball in grade six," Stolearcius said. "But back then, I didn't really know you get a scholarship to play volleyball in college. Then, I was at a prospect camp in grade 10 and I met coach Huebsch there. He couldn't recruit me then, but that's when I started to think about the future in this sport. And eventually, he recruited me to play here, and it was a great opportunity."

Stolearcius' opportunity to play came quickly. Many freshmen don't see the floor in volleyball, but Stolearcius was able to play alongside Cartwright night after night and was essentially groomed to take over the libero position. It's a position she says she's very honored to play and, already, being a leader for the Skylights is something she takes a lot of pride in.

"Being able to play on that team last year was such a privilege," the biology major who plans on returning to Canada one day to go to medical school at the University of Saskatchewan said. "That team just had so much talent and experience, and to be regular season conference champs, and everything we went through last year, I just learned so much.

"And Holly was a huge example for me," she continued. She was my leader, she was our leader and playing with her was a real honor. She taught me to play the spot, but also how to lead. She was a phenomenal leader on the court. She was the one who picked everyone up when things weren't going well, she really knew how to get everyone to gel together and do their very best every night. She was just a tremendous lead and I admire her for that."

And now, though just a sophomore, it's Stolearcius' turn to lead. She's the libero now, and though the job is tough, as the Skylights have already faced nine nationally ranked teams in her first season as the libero, she's taking the job to heart, and just like she did when she first fell in love with volleyball, she's not looking back.

"I know I have big shoes to fill," she said. "I consider it a privilege to be where she (Cartwright) was last year. But it's exciting, too. It feels good to be one of the veteran players on this team, even though I'm only a sophomore. I feel like it's something I'm ready for."

Here's five questions with Skylight Sydney Stolearcius as MSU-N prepares to finally play in the Armory Gymnasium against top-ranked Rocky Mountain College Friday night.

HDN: How excited are you guys to know you'll finally be playing on your home floor?

Stolearcius: "We're really excited. It's been a long road in the preseason. It's really hard to play on the road as much as we have. So it feels good to finally be at home. And we're really excited to go out and play in front of our fans. You don't have that on the road and our fans are the best in the conference. It's one of the reasons I love this school. The preseason has been a buildup to this weekend, and it's finally here. So we want to go out and play well for our fans. I know the whole team is very excited for this home opener."

HDN: The season has been rough to start. As one of the leaders of this team, how is the team feeling right now?

Stolearcius: "I think we recognize how tough our preseason schedule really was. I mean, last year, we went 15-1 in the Frontier and won 26 matches overall. But that team didn't play some of the teams we've played this season. And we also understand this a young team, a different team and this is a new season. So even though we have more losses so far this season than we did last year, and our stats aren't where we want them to be right now, we feel like we've matured. We've had to grow up in a hurry, and I think the teams we've played against have helped us do that. But we also understand, we can't use us being a young team as an excuse anymore. We can't rely on that anymore. We have to step up, and I think we will do that. Regardless of our record right now, I think we're confident that we're going to have a really good season."

HDN: Is there much of a difference between life in Saskatchewan and life in north-central Montana?

Stolearcius: "The biggest difference for me is just that I grew up in Saskatoon, so I'm used to the big city. That's really the only difference is that there's a lot more to do where I'm from. But that's also been really good for me. In a small town environment, I'm much more focused. Instead of getting bored sometimes, I realize I'm here to go to school and play volleyball. So being in Havre has really helped me because I don't get distracted. It's hard sometimes. I miss home. It took me coming here to realize I'm a home girl. And I miss it a lot. But at the same time, I realize not very many people get to be a college athlete. It's a privilege to be an athlete at this level, so I'm really thankful for the opportunity I have here, and I'm really enjoying being here."

HDN: It's Canada's national pastime, so how big of a hockey fan are you?

Stolearcius: "Oh wow, I'm a big hockey fan. My brother plays hockey, my dad really got me into it because he loves the sport. He's a huge Edmonton Oilers fan. And my boyfriend is playing hockey right now at the university level. So hockey is a big part of me. And when I came here and found out that there wasn't really any hockey to watch, I really realized how much I love the sport. I just craved watching hockey. That's why I'm really excited Havre is getting a team (Glacier). I'm going to go watch their first game Saturday night, and I'm taking a bunch of the girls with me. So yes, I love hockey."

HDN: Rocky is the No. 1 team in the country, they kept you guys from the national tourney last year. Carroll is a huge rival for the Skylights. How big are these two home matches for you this weekend?

Stolearcius: "I feel like we're very prepared for both games. We have played some really good teams in the preseason, and we know both teams really well. We can go out play like we have nothing to lose. And we understand we have a great opportunity to go out and show people they shouldn't count us out because of our record. Right now, I think everybody is looking right past us, and that really fires us up. It really motivates us even more. We want to go out and prove to people that we're still a team people need to pay attention to. We ready to go out and show people we're a better team than they think we are. These are two really good opponents for our home opener, and we're fired up to play both of them."