Sitting on the bench for the majority of a career is never easy for an athlete. Competitors always want to be where the action is, but sometimes playing time can be hard to come by. That’s a story Idaho volleyball’s senior setter Ryann Carter knows a lot about. Now the waiting has paid off — Carter is the Vandals’ starting setter.
Every year, teammates battle each other for playing time. For setters Carter and Jenny Feicht, that battle has been going on for three years and still continues. The two are so close in skill level that either could start on any given night.
Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said while the two may be always battling for time, it’s good to have that kind of depth.
“It’s uncommon to have two setters who are the same year, that are the same age,” Buchanan said. “We just happen to be in that position. It’s awesome to know that we have two kids we can go to. The sad part is only one of them is going to play.”
Carter, an Edgewood, Wash., native, originally walked on at the University of Washington. However, she was second on the depth chart, behind All-American setter Jenna Hagglund. Carter had a redshirt all season right until the end, when Washington took it away, playing her in a total of two sets, costing her a year of eligibility.
Carter said it was in that moment she first thought about transferring.
“I realized that I probably wasn’t going to be playing,” Carter said. “What I wanted to be doing was playing volleyball, not sitting on the bench.”
When Carter made the decision to transfer in the offseason, she decided to check out Idaho and instantly felt at home when she came to visit. She went to the bookstore with Buchanan and her mom, where her mom told her if it felt right, then she should commit.
“It felt right and I walked up to Debbie and I committed in the bookstore,” Carter said.
The former walk-on now has a new home and a scholarship, but that didn’t translate into playing time immediately. Feicht was already the starting setter at Idaho, a position she had been familiar with since her freshman year. Carter put up a strong battle, but it was Feicht who ended up starting the majority of their sophomore and junior seasons.
Despite the two setters fighting each other for the same spot, they developed a strong friendship that made whatever happened easier.
“We have a good relationship off the court, but on the court we know it’s a battle and we’re both competing for the same spot. No matter who’s playing we’re able to cheer on our team and cheer on that person who’s in,” Feicht said.
While Carter did see some playing time, she admits that sitting behind Feicht wasn’t an easy thing to do.
“It was extremely hard, but what made it better was that she’s one of my best friends here,” Carter said. “No matter what, having her play was like having one of my really close friends play.”
Carter said it wasn’t always easy to keep her attitude in check, but said heading into her senior season she decided she was going to give it her all and make the best out of whatever happened.
“This year, even before summer started, I told myself to just forget about it and just go out there and play volleyball,” Carter said. “I’ve been doing this since I was nine and I only have four months left. This is it. I have to use up every moment I have.”
The setters went into fall practice competing like they always have, but this year Carter emerged as the No. 1 setter and was the opening night starter for the first time in her career.
Feicht said she’s not fond of sitting and will do everything she can to reclaim the starting sport, but also said she enjoys the competition and is happy for Carter.
“It’s pretty fun, because it’s intense,” Feicht said. “We make each other better, which makes the team better. Literally it’s a fight every day, every week for who’s going to play. I think that’s really cool.”
Kevin Bingaman can be reached at [email protected]