Freshman Maisie Jesse graduated high school early to get more time with Towson volleyball before the season

By Jake Shindel, Deputy Sports Editor

Within days of committing to Towson volleyball in September 2021, freshman setter Maisie Jesse knew she wanted to get to campus as soon as possible. For Jesse, that meant graduating high school early and spending the spring semester with the team.

She first approached her club and high school volleyball coach Amanda Burbridge about the thought, even before her parents. Jesse knew that to get her parents on board with her idea, she had to have a plan first.

“I decided to check all the boxes before I talked to them because I knew they were gonna be like, ‘If you don’t have a plan, we’re not supportive.’ They’re very big on, ‘If you have a plan, we’ll support you 100%. If there’s no plan, we have nothing to go off of,’” Jesse said.

Burbridge, who Jesse has known since the age of 13, told her to take her time with the decision, as it was a big one. Going from Arizona to Maryland is a significant change, as is leaving behind family, friends and teammates nearly six months earlier than initially planned.

Jesse’s decision to start in the spring rather than the fall had both benefits and drawbacks. Beginning in the spring meant that she had a lot more time to be with the team before the 2023 season, but it also meant that she had to start classes in the middle of the year.

“If I were to come in the summer, I would have been just thrown into the volleyball world with zero introduction,” Jesse said. “But I feel like when I came in the spring, I was just thrown into the school part with no introduction. In the fall, everyone is new. All the freshmen are learning how to deal with this together.”

Despite the struggles, Jesse has no regrets about graduating early and even encourages other student-athletes to consider it too.

“There’s nothing I would do differently, and it’s something I think everybody should do if it works for you. To be able to get in there and work on yourself before having to worry about winning and the team and all that other stuff.”

Burbridge said Jesse is the first person from her club team to graduate early, but she won’t be the last. This year, Burbridge has another student graduating early and has seen an increase in student-athletes that decide to go that route.

With Jesse, Towson is getting a hard-working and mindful student-athlete who is also a good teammate, according to Burbridge. Jesse has even been able to help some of the team’s freshmen and transfers navigate their new team since Jesse has an extra semester at Towson already under her belt.

“She’s always gonna be working hard,” Burbridge said. “She’s always gonna be first one in, last one out, she puts in the extra time, she’s going to watch film, scout opponents, stuff she did in high school and club, so it’s not a guess- it’s definitely the way she operates.”

Jesse said she is looking forward to playing at SECU Arena and hopes to help the team make it to the sweet sixteen of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball tournament, a feat Towson is yet to conquer.

Towson volleyball’s season officially begins on Friday, with two games at the University of South Carolina. The team’s home opener is Friday, Sept. 1, against Fairleigh Dickinson, part of the Towson Invitational.

Jake Shindel

Jake Shindel has been a member of The Towerlight since the fall of 2020. He has served as a writer, associate editor, Editor-in-Chief, Sports Editor, and now Deputy Sports Editor. He has also held internships with The Daily Record and Baltimore Fishbowl, as well as PressBox Online, the Baltimore Blast, and Towson Sports Network.