Stepping in for an All-American caliber setter is one thing. Stepping in for the best setter in program history on a national title contending team is another. Doing both as a freshman sounds near impossible.
This is simply reality for the new starting setter on the Wayne State College volleyball team. Molly Romano is a freshman from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and she is tasked with leading and running WSC’s potent offensive attack in 2024.
Romano started like many young volleyball players, playing recreation style games at her local YMCA during her elementary school years. Her love for the game blossomed from there, and she started to play club volleyball when she was 12 years old.
Romano started out as a middle hitter as she was always one of taller players on the team, but a compliment from her coach led her to take the setting position.
“My middle school coach said ‘You have great hands. Why don’t you try it out?’” Romano said. “So, as a seventh grader, I started setting and she led me through the role and rotations, and I fell in love.”
Throughout her high school years, Romano totaled 3,031 career assists and was given All-Missouri River Conference First Team honors during her junior and senior season. She also led her school to the Region Two championship match.
“I always remember my teammates,” Romano said. “Sometimes I remember the games, but more so the things I did with my teammates before and after the games. Having fun with my teammates is what I’ll always remember.”
Deciding to play at WSC was an easy decision for Romano. From the culture within the program to the small town feel of Wayne, everything felt like home.
“We have an amazing culture as a volleyball program,” Romano said. “Also, the school has amazing culture. I felt that Wayne State’s volleyball program and culture was the best I could find.”
Romano may only be a freshman, but she has already been at WSC and competed with this group of players. She was an early high school graduate and decided to enroll for the Spring of 2024 where she decided to grow her game by playing on the sand.
Playing a starter position as a freshman is also not new to Romano as she was the starting setter all four years of her high school career. The year prior to her arrival, the team graduated the previous setter. When head coach Scott Kneifl eventually pulled Romano into his office to give her the news she had been waiting for, Romano was thrilled to get to work.
“I was like ‘Let’s go!’ Romano said. “I had felt that semester that I had grown those connections. I had become way more comfortable setting out of system or in system with all different kinds of hitters. When the time came and he told me I was going to be starting, I felt I was confident to run the team.”
It is up to Romano to fill the shoes of Rachel Walker, who many may consider to be the best setter in WSC volleyball history. Walker finished her WSC career with 4,693 assists, which ranks her second all-time in school history in that category.
Walker was also a multiple time All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference First Team honoree and was named an honorable mention for the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American list last season.
“I came in very aware of the shoes I was needing to fill,” Romano said. “I’m not trying to be Rachel. I have my own setting style. I came in wanting to play my game, but I also know the style of play we have here at Wayne, and they have helped to grow my game.”
Even though Rachel Walker may not be suited on the court, she will still be a graduate assistant for the Wildcat program this season. As a newcomer to the program, Romano looks up to Walker and says Walker is instrumental in helping her development as a player individually and within Kneifl’s system.
“(Rachel) not only knows the players I’m setting, but also the style of play,” Romano said. “She’s a very calming source for me. She understands the mindset, the physicality, she understands everything about it. Being able to learn from her is huge.”
Romano is stepping into an offensive system known for its efficiency and its abundance of power. The Wildcats last season hit .314 with over 1,600 kills on the season, both of which were some of the tops marks in the country.
Players like Taya Beller, Maggie Brahmer, Channatee Robles, Brooklyn Kusler and so many more players make up one of the best attacking teams in the country entering 2024, and it’s up to Romano to lead the offensive charge.
“I feed off of their energy and it is so much fun,” Romano said. “They are all so supportive. They encourage me and give me the feedback I need to make a better set. They put balls away like nothing else. It is so much fun to watch.”
Romano has already amassed 305 assists through the first eight games of the season, which outs her on a pace for just over 1,000 assists on the season. She also has 11 kills and six service aces on the season and is using her experience as a middle to help on the block defensively. She has 15 block assists and two solo blocks on the year and is also second on the team in digs with 61.
With the season under way and conference play starting this week, all the talking gets done on the court. Romano is finding her groove with her new teammates in her new home. She is ready to bring home the hardware and is ready to play her first games in Rice Auditorium.
“All I can think about is how awesome a community we have,” Romano said. “Now that I’ll get to play in it, being able to thrive off the atmosphere will make playing so much more fun. I am grateful for the opportunity, and I love Wayne. Go Cats!”
WSC will open conference play with a pair of road games this weekend. They will travel to Moorhead, Minnesota, to take on the MSU Moorhead Dragons on Friday, Sept. 20 and then to Aberdeen, South Dakota, to take on the Northern State Wolves on Saturday, Sept. 21.
The next weekend will see WSC play their first home games of the 2024 season.
