4 time beach volleyball national champion Delaynie Maple follows road rarely taken
When she was a freshman in high school, Delaynie Maple made up her mind. She would play four years of beach volleyball and then take her fifth year, transfer and play indoor volleyball.
It’s almost unheard of – making the switch from the sand to the hardwood. Only one other player, former USC teammate Haley Hallgren, has played both beach and indoor for Power 5 conferences before.
Although she made her mind up at 14 years old, she hadn’t revisited that plan until last summer when she was nearing her final season with the Trojans and chasing her fourth consecutive national title.
She entered the transfer portal, more as a way to test the waters than anything, and within an hour, Indiana reached out. She’s known two of the assistant coaches, Kevin Hodge and Rachel Morris, since seventh grade – and when they reached out, the possibility turned into reality.
“I instantly fell in love with it,” Maple said of Indiana. “I was born and raised in San Diego, and now I go to school in LA, so I’m an hour away. I’ve never left my little bubble. And I was like, ‘I know I want to end up back here but I think I owe it to myself to just try something new.’”
So, she committed to the Hoosiers.
Delaynie Maple could have had pick of schools
Delaynie Maple could’ve gone anywhere. She has been one of the best beach volleyball players in the country and a proven winner. She would provide any school with more than talent but leadership, intangibles and a winning attitude.
But Maple’s reasoning for taking her fifth year was more complex than just wanting to join another storied program. She wanted to challenge herself, escape her comfort zone and aid Indiana’s efforts to become a national success story.
Indiana coach Steve Aird arrived in Bloomington in 2018 and took over a Hoosiers team who had one conference victory a season prior. In six years at the helm, Aird has taken the Hoosiers to new heights.
He coached an All-American setter in Cam Haworth, recruited a top-10 class of 2025 recruits, led Indiana to its highest conference finish in program history and accomplished multiple attendance records, including a sellout rivalry victory over ranked Purdue.
“I think it speaks to how attractive the school and the program is to the high-end talent that wants to have an opportunity to help build something, get a great education and have a great experience,” Aird said.
Maple committed to the Hoosiers before her senior season even began. But she made the conscious decision to keep her choice to herself. She let her coaches know but didn’t even tell her teammates.
“I just wanted to respect them,” Maple said. “I didn’t want them to think I was overlooking the season. And I really wanted to make sure that they knew my priority was still with USC beach.”
What is Indiana getting in Maple?
So, Delaynie Maple announced it on Tuesday, just two days after USC beach volleyball continued their dominant legacy by winning their fourth consecutive national title.
For the Indiana Hoosiers, adding a player who’s won at the highest level is a game-changer.
“Having a student-athlete who has gone through what she just went through and to be able to talk to our kids about ‘Hey, if you want to chase great, this is what it looks like.’ I think it’ll be so valuable,” Aird said.
The 5-foot, 10-inch Maple is a versatile talent who brings a perspective that almost no other indoor volleyball player can. Plus, she wants to use her experiences to help this rising Hoosiers squad.
“I really just want to use this year to be a good teammate and push myself in a different way,” Maple said. “I’d love to share whatever I can and help wherever I can. I just want to be of aid to all of them because we’ve had at least three transfers every year through my entire experience here. Those people, every year, are the highlights of my year. So I just hope I can reciprocate that back to somebody else next year.”