CROOKSTON, Minn. – A casual observer of University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball might have done a double take early on in the season when they looked out and saw redshirt senior Maggie Perrel in a different colored jersey as her teammates. For the first time in her career Perrel was playing libero. A defensive specialist who cannot attack or block the ball above net height.

This was a change of pace for Perrel, who was among the Top 10 attackers in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) statistically as a junior with 3.50 kills per set. However, Perrel's plans changed in the off-season due to a surgery to correct a previous injury. The vision of her and Kassi Green as the top two outside hitters for an experienced Golden Eagle squad changed, but Perrel was determined to help her team in any way possible.

"I talked to Coach Sarah (Rauen) about it and you never stop learning how to play the game," Perrel said. "Playing libero was a huge adjustment. I had never done anything like that. I had played other positions but I had never played libero. People joke about it because they think it is a cool position and they say 'oh, I've always wanted to do that'. Your game just changes. It is just a different aspect to look at the things you need to do to win. My game as a whole has changed a lot this year from focusing on hitting and attacking to being more defense-oriented. I have learned a lot from it."

Perrel has slowly been able to get back into her role at outside hitter but her game was forced to change as she still was unable to hit the ball with as much force as she once was.

"It has been frustrating because my game is not the same that it was," Perrel said. "Sarah (Rauen) and Anna (Morgan) have been so gracious to me in teaching me how to come back from surgery and how to hit properly. It has been awesome and I am so thankful for that. Learning how to do things again is frustrating but very rewarding. Sarah always says that there is no shame in tipping and rolling and having good shots. You can't just be blasting away because that is not always going to score points. I have learned how to be a complete player this season and I am very grateful for that."

Perrel's whirlwind journey, that included playing three different positions, at Minnesota Crookston began prior to the 2013 season when she was on a visit to the campus nestled in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota.

"I don't think I said two words on my visit, but I really enjoyed the team and enjoyed the coaching staff and that is why I decided to come here," Perrel said. "I also met with Dr. (Brian) Dingmann in my major and he was very warm and inviting. That is why I decided to come to Minnesota Crookston."

 In random happenstance, she was paired with twin sisters Kelci and Kassi Green on the visit. All three players would redshirt during their careers and are currently the only three redshirt seniors on the Golden Eagle roster.

"There is a running joke within the team," Perrel said. "I played with Northern Lights and they played with Anoka. We played them either my 16 or 17's year and they always talk about they beat us in JO's. They think it is always so funny. We definitely formed a bond early on and became instant friends. However, I don't think I said anything on my visit with them. I think I said hi and introduced myself and that was about it."

Perrel's career would start out with her making an instant impact as a right side hitter on one of the most successful Minnesota Crookston volleyball teams in school history. The Golden Eagles would finish 15-14 and earn a berth in the NSIC/US Bank Tournament, a highly coveted spot in the nation's best NCAA Division II league. Perrel would play alongside Minnesota Crookston all-time kills leader Brittany Looker, who earned All-NSIC First Team honors as a junior. Perrel would average 2.01 kills per set and hit .235, good for second on the squad.

Perrel talked about the impact of playing on that team and the role that the senior class of Chelsea Wiesner, Alexandra Skeeter, Katie Miedtke, Alyssa Schneider, Paige Mitchell and Lindsey Rees had on her in Perrel's first season in the Maroon and Gold.

"Our freshman year was a really good year because our seniors were very leadership oriented. They really welcomed us to their team and made us feel like were a part of the team instantly. When myself and Sierra (Trost) started playing, I think they put a lot of confidence is us. Chelsea (Wiesner), Skeet (Alexandra Skeeter) and Brittany (Looker) were just really great to us and made us feel like we were competent in our playing."

Perrel especially focused on Looker's role in helping her to be comfortable as an outside hitter.

"Brittany (Looker) was really good for learning how to be a good hitter and just being comfortable," Perrel said. "She was a very fun person to play with. She made playing out there fun and enjoyable on a consistent basis."

Perrel's journey has taken her from right side hitter to the team's top outside hitter to libero, but she is very thankful for her experience. Especially for this season and a chance to learn things about volleyball that she never knew.

"I am thankful that I got my last season to have a chance to be with Sarah," Perrel said. "She has blessed our team so much. Everybody is so thankful for her. She has taught us so much more about the game than I never knew. She has brought a whole other side of the game into the gym. She is so fun to be around and she makes our team super fun and keeps things light. Every day we come into the gym and learn something new."

Perrel's journey on the court is close to its swan song this weekend and she is starting to shift her focus to life after volleyball.

"I have applications for P.A. school due in May. Hopefully I will get interviews throughout the summer. I am heading home and I am excited to be home with my family, but then I will finish my applications. I will probably work as a C.N.A. (Certified Nurse's Assistant) while I am waiting to get into P.A. school."

Perrel is hoping to stay in Northern Minnesota for Physician's Assistants school, but she will be happy if she is able to be closer to family in New Germany, Minn., if that is where life takes her. For now though, she will focus on ending her volleyball career and relishing the last moments she will get to share great memories with all of the friends she has made through volleyball.

"I think our huge group of seniors has contributed to the team so much in the last couple of years," Perrel said. "They are a great group of girls. I have made awesome friendships with them. It is going to be a little bittersweet because volleyball has been such a huge part of all of our lives for so long. Getting to end it on a good note with a coach that has done so much for us is going to be awesome."

While this season might not have ended the way Perrel once hoped, I don't think she would trade it for the world. She learned so much about how to overcome adversity and thrive in it. Applications she will surely take with her into the workplace. So while her senior season didn't end with the big hitting numbers that her junior season did, it was a season where she proved that she is a player willing to do anything possible to help her team win. It showed us much more about the kind of team player she really is.