When the Georgetown University field hockey team takes the field next fall, twenty of the twenty-one players from this year’s squad will be back in the lineup. But despite all of the familiar faces back on the field, the team will not look the same.

The impending departure of senior forward Kristen Volpe will leave a huge void in the Hoyas’ lineup both on and off the field; as well as being the team’s most experienced player, she was also a motivational leader and mentor for the younger players on the team. Volpe’s hard work and dedication has garnered much praise from her coaches all season, and this past weekend she was recognized on a larger stage when she was selected to the All-Big East Second Team. It was the first time a Georgetown player has been honored with a spot on a postseason All-Big East team.

“I am so happy for Kristen to be recognized by the other coaches in the conference to get this kind of award and recognition,” Head Coach Tiffany Marsh said. “[She] leads by example in everything she does and has worked so hard since we’ve been here to put herself in a situation to be major threat on the field. … By the way she carries herself she is also a role model for the younger kids. She deserved this recognition.”

Volpe’s freshman year was also the Blue and Gray’s first in the extremely competitive Big East conference. Housing many of the premiere teams in the country, the Big East is annually one of the top two conferences in the nation.

Although the Hoyas are slowly adapting to the talent of the Big East and have experienced many blowout losses over the past four years, Volpe has stuck with the team and has done everything in her power to help the program become a respectable member of the conference. As she captained this year’s team, one of her main contributions to Georgetown field hockey has been helping her teammates manage the talent difference between the Blue and Gray and the elite members of the conference such as Louisville, Connecticut and Syracuse.

“This year was a huge step for the program. We got our first ever win in the Big East against Rutgers, and then Volpe getting this honor is huge for us,” Marsh said. “Just being named to the honor roll [earlier in the season] was a big step for Kristen and the team, but now getting second team is a huge statement for where we are taking this program and the talent we have.”

For the second consecutive season, Volpe led the team in shots, goals and points. She doubled her goal total from 2008, and with ten goals she became the fourth Hoya in the past ten years to score double-digit goals. Although she was the strongest player on the field for Georgetown, leadership was perhaps the most important thing she contributed to this young team.

“Kristen had to step into a huge leadership role being the only senior on the team,” Marsh said. “I think that the talent she brought as well as the energy and confidence she brought to the younger girls is something that is going to be really missed. . She led by example both on and off the field. She wasn’t afraid to be vocal with the younger girls. She was the voice on the field to try to get people fired up and then off the field she was always [the coaches’] go-to girl to get any message across to the girls. She will be missed.”

The experience the younger players gained this season will be key to any improvements the team makes next year, but the absence of Volpe leaves the Hoyas with many gaps to fill.

“It will be interesting to see who steps into this role that she has been in for two years. She will definitely be missed playing-wise and skill-wise… we always looked to her to score the goals when we needed one,” Marsh said. “It will be interesting to see who steps into the captain’s role: We have juniors Annika [Bannon] and Micaela [O’Toole], but we also have so many younger kids. While she will be missed, it will be exciting to see who steps into those roles, and it should lead to a great year.”

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