Lighting Up the Volleyball Courts

Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Roger Clemens--a few names that come to mind when one thinks about a single athlete who has turned around a team or program.

You can add Maia Forman's name to that list.

Forman, the former setter for the Harvard women's volleyball team, was widely recognized the last four years as the best setter in the East.

During her first year, Forman--who earned All-Ivy honors twice--and the Crimson finished the season with a 3-15 record. It's obvious that her teammates respected the freshman when they elected her as team captain the next year.

"She's an example for all of us, with her enthusiasm, team spirit and leadership ability," teammate Carolyn Burger says. "She's a pioneer for Harvard women's volleyball."

"It was tough being the youngest captain," Forman says. "I was younger than most of the girls on the team. It took a lot of adjusting on my part and the team's part."

In her first year as captain under first-year Coach Wayne Lem, the Crimson finished 5-16, but it played competitively for the first time in years.

"I think when I first came here I was disappointed about the way volleyball was played in the East," Forman says. "Harvard didn't have a very good program compared to Princeton, Penn and Yale. One of my major goals was to build up the program. I'm really happy with the way things turned out."

In her junior year, the Crimson recorded its best record ever, finishing with an 18-11 mark. But the highlight of the season was Harvard's performance in the Ivy League tournament.

The sixth-seeded Crimson reached the semifinals before falling in five sets to eventual Ivy champion Princeton. Forman led the tournament with more than 140 assists.

Forman gives a lot of credit to Lem, who has helped turn the program around in just three years.

"Wayne has been amazing for the program," Forman says. "He's come in and filled in the blanks. He's the reason the program is where it is today."

This year was tough for the Crimson and Forman. The senior missed the first two weeks of the season because of a sprained ankle. But she returned and led the Crimson to two big regular-season wins over Cornell and Yale.

"The program's come a long way, here to California," Forman says. "We're not ready for the NCAA Final Four yet. But we're heading in the right direction."

"I really love the girls on the team," Forman adds. "We had so much fun together. They're always going to be my best memories."

Forman will study Public Health and Public Policy at Cal-Berkeley, and teach volleyball in a community league.

"At Berkeley, they play pick-up volleyball games like they play pick-up basketball here," Forman says.

Forman now laughs when she thinks about the program four years ago, when it was tough for the team to get a van to travel to games, and the players had to borrow volleyballs from other teams and play in poorly lit conditions.

Well, the gym is still poorly lit. But Forman has been a bright star for the Crimson.