Spring volleyball season new twist for Carrabine

<p>Macy Carrabine has played in excess of 300 sets in her college volleyball career, lunging to save shots inside facilities from Charleston to Honolulu.</p><p>Even before her senior season, Denver’s starting libero experienced a lot. Now 10 matches into an unprecedented spring season, the former Center Grove standout might well have experienced everything.</p><p>“It’s definitely a change,” said Carrabine, who leads the Pioneers (9-1) in digs and is third in assists and service aces entering home matches today and Saturday against South Dakota. “I feel like we had a lot of time off, but it’s been a lot of fun.</p><p>“In the fall, we switched our practices around and kind of eased into it to prevent injuries, and that prepared us as much as it could. Our first scrimmage was against (Colorado) and our first match against Omaha, but honestly, it felt like we were playing in the fall.”</p><p>Only they aren’t.</p><p>In August, the Summit League’s president’s council voted unanimously to postpone the regular season and championships for the fall sports of men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball until the spring due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>The league unveiled a plan in October for these sports, establishing spring schedule dates and tournament sites. To better illustrate the discrepancy, Carrabine played her final match as a junior on Dec. 6, 2019 and her first one as a senior this Jan. 31.</p><p>On the court, it hasn’t made a difference. Denver is 82-19 in Carrabine’s career with trips to the NCAA tournament all three years. The Pioneers lost at eventual national champion Stanford last season.</p><p>“Macy was a substitute during her freshman year, but she’s been a starter for the last three years and is doing fantastic,” Denver coach Tom Hogan said. “She’s playing better volleyball now than she’s ever played. She’s improved at her serve-receive game and gotten more aggressive with her serve.”</p><p>Denver’s volleyball roster is comprised of talent from eight different states along with players from Serbia and Italy. Carrabine, who chose Denver over the University of Illinois, is the lone Hoosier.</p><p>And that, Hogan said, is a good thing.</p><p>“Macy really leads by example,” Hogan said. “Her work ethic is pretty remarkable. I’m from Cincinnati, and I love that blue-collar, Midwest work ethic. I feel like Macy has brought that to our program. She’s a special person. We’re definitely going to miss her next year.”</p><p>Carrabine graduates this spring with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and communications. With the NCAA granting athletes an additional year of eligibility, Carrabine will enter the transfer portal in April and begin the recruiting process anew.</p><p>“Personally, I am very happy with my decision to come to Denver. I still take it in every day,” said Carrabine, referring to being in the mountains a good 15-hour drive from home. “My parents (Mike and Stacy) come to almost every match, whether it’s on the road or in Denver. It means the world to me that they would drop anything they were doing to come watch me play the sport that I love.</p><p>“But it goes both ways. Everyone in my family supports each other in everything we do.”</p>