UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State has won four straight matches and is now one game behind Princeton for the top spot in the EIVA standings. With only four regular season matches left to play, quality veteran leadership is critical at this point in the season.
Penn State will have its senior night Saturday, Apr. 6 against George Mason, which defeated the Nittany Lions in straight sets in the first matchup of the season. Three seniors — Frank Melvin, Matthew McLaren and Lee Smith — will be honored Saturday for their final match at Rec Hall. Head coach Mark Pavlik has characterized all three as glue guys every team needs to be successful.
"I think it's easy to point at this part of the season, but their leadership is even more crucial when nobody is looking," Pavlik said. "You know back in September, October when they were laying the foundation for the culture that they wanted to make sure they stewarded over the course of the year and make it stronger. Because we've been able to stick together as a team, everybody knows that their place on the team is valued and that's enabled us to work through some of the challenges that we've been through as a team," Pavlik said.
Although each of them have been overlooked at times this season, according to Pavlik, the rest of the team always absorbs what they have to say. In particular, Smith has emerged as Penn State's most vocal leader this season, but not necessarily in the role he would have hoped for entering his final season.
Smith played in just three matches this season before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) for the second time in his career, but that has not stopped him from staying as involved as possible from the sideline.
Smith has become almost another assistant coach for Penn State and earlier this season was often seen riding his scooter around the court during practices to give instruction to the rest of his team.
"Lee Smith has probably had the worst luck of any fifth-year senior," Pavlik said. "The challenges that were in front of him through his five-year career, it would have been easy to knock anybody off their feet, but the one thing he has done is maintain his leadership position. He's all in on his team, providing feedback and not being afraid to come up here and let us know his thoughts. More than anything else he wants this team to succeed. His deep caring for what this team can do has been very evident."
Smith's presence on the sideline has been especially helpful for Penn State this season, given that the Nittany Lions are a relatively young team that has seen several freshmen earn early playing time. Smith admittedly would much rather be out on the court playing with his team, but he has started to really enjoy his new coaching role from the sideline.
"This may be one of the most challenging things I have faced in my life because this is not only my first ACL repair, it's my second…It has been a real struggle, but I know my teammates have had my back the whole time," Smith said. "I've really filled into this new coaching role now and the guys really still look up to me and that means the world to me because it makes me feel like I still have a spot to really make this team how I picture us to be."
Smith has focused on spending a lot of time with the younger players of the team, while also using his strengths as a blocker and passer on the court to help his teammates improve in these areas. Smith also hopes to go into coaching after his career at Penn State, making his final season in his new role a nice bridge into the next chapter of his life.
"I feel like it has opened up my mind because I have always thought about coaching after college, but I feel like after this whole experience of making that next step into coaching is definitely a good starting base for that, and I feel like after college I definitely want to get into some kind of coaching whether it's high school or club to begin with and then maybe work my way up to the collegiate level," Smith said.
Smith is from Sewickley, Pennsylvania, which is only about 20 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. Once Smith's lease expires in State College, he plans to move to downtown Pittsburgh and begin a career in landscape contracting, along with coaching a high school or club team on the side.
While his final season certainly has not followed the path he envisioned, Smith has been just as valuable in an alternate role this season and has enjoyed every last minute of being a part of this Penn State squad with his teammates.
"The group of guys here has really been a brotherhood," Smith said. "We get guys in and out of this program year after year, but the culture, just like the whole team attitude and the fact we have each other's back is so meaningful because not many people get to experience that as a student. Coming straight into this team as a freshman was huge because I had this core group of guys that were my friends instantly, and ever since then I've just developed these amazing friendships that I'll have for life."