GREENSBORO – All you need to know about UNC Greensboro (UNCG) senior
Maria Esch was summed up in one exciting play during the third set against Western Carolina Monday.
Trailing by two sets and behind in the third, Esch stretched her 6 foot, 1 inch body on the floor and reached out with one hand for a dig that eventually led to a
Hannah Knier kill. It's that type of effort that Esch exhibited during a spectacular four-year career that concluded with a 3-0 setback to Western Carolina in a Southern Conference match at Fleming Gym.
"My goal was to leave it all out on the floor and hit (the ball) as hard as I could and run as fast as I could," Esch said. "I am proud of myself for doing that this weekend. I am nostalgic this weekend for sure, thinking about all the girls I played with and how lucky I am to have been able to play with (the current team) this year. I know we worked as hard as we could in every match."
Western Carolina won its sixth straight match by scores of 25-19, 25-21, 25-20.
Esch's senior season wasn't what she envisioned following her freshman year when she was a member of a team that won 20 matches and competed in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NVIC).
However, they say adversity strengthens a person and what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. She set the tone by never cheating the game. Her fiery personality rubbed off on her teammates as they all raised their game a few notches during the season finale.
During a pandemic-challenged spring campaign in which UNCG endured numerous injuries, unfortunate bounces, and tough defeats, Esch continued to lead, encourage, and smile. These experiences will serve her well as she begins the next phase of her life after graduation.
"It's been a weird year," Esch said. "I am proud of our team's adaptability, our flexibility and of the sacrifices that everybody had to make to keep our team healthy while keeping our team pushing even when times got hard. Everyone was dedicated to staying safe and healthy and I appreciate that about them."
Esch blossomed into one of the Southern Conference's elite performers during her career. A two-way force, Esch showcased all of her skills in one final performance of breathtaking excellence against the Catamounts, finishing with her 19th career double-double (16 kills, 18 digs).
Freshman
Haven McPeek had a career-high 32 assists. Junior
Amanda Garvens finished with 18 digs and seven kills, both season bests. Sophomores
Grey Breen (seven kills),
Hannah Knier (six) and
Brittany Wood (five) combined for 18 kills.
Meanwhile, juniors
Jenna Wiggs (nine digs) and
Stephanie Meysembourg (seven) combined for 16 digs.
During a timeout, the sounds of Usher's popular song "OMG" played throughout the gym. It could've been Esch's theme song as she made everybody say oh my god during her career.
The international and global studies as well as women's, gender, and sexuality studies double major ended her career with 949 kills, which ranks 15th in program history. Esch also ended her career with 395 digs. The final kill of her fabulous career occurred at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
While her contributions to the UNCG volleyball program will be forever captured in social media posts, record books, photos, and videos, Esch will be remembered for the impact she had off the court. She is the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president. Esch also founded the group, Athletes For Activism (AFA) along with several other student-athletes.
"The G is my home," Esch said. "I've been able to make so many friends here and create so many meaningful memories. I am just lucky I get to wear the jersey to represent this place that I love."
