Draft Prospect Profile: OH Madison Scheer
Scheer will figure heavily into SMU's plans as a newcomer from the portal.
As the dust settled on college volleyball’s transfer portal season, the SMU Mustangs emerged with an abundance of talented newcomers. Among them was outside hitter Madison Scheer, an experienced player coming from the SEC who should make an immediate impact in her new home.
Scheer was a reliable hitter for the first two seasons her career, but she became a starter for the first time last season. She spent the year spearheading the Auburn Tigers’ offense and led the team in both kills and points per set, hitting .244 on 1017 attacks. Nevertheless, she felt like she had hit a rut, and decided to enter the transfer portal as a result. When SMU expressed their interest and the two sides met, it was something akin to love at first sight.
“I felt like I wasn't developing, and I had this like instinct that I could get better,” said Scheer. “I went on a call with Sam [Erger] and I knew instantly, this is definitely one of my top choices. I really enjoyed our conversation. She was very honest with me. She told me, like, ‘This is what we're going to do to get you to the next level. This is what you have to improve on.’ That just helped solidify that this is a program… that I want to be a part of.”
The SMU volleyball staff takes the development of their athletes seriously, and it’s transformed them into a launchpad for future pros under the leadership of head coach Sam Erger and associate head coach Trent Sorensen. “What an opportunity, what a time to be in women's volleyball and have all these leagues available! So, we go after that and we describe that — ‘Hey, if this is something you want to do professionally, if you want to go play, then we're ready to prepare you for it,’” said Sorensen.
With her professional ambitions, you don’t have to squint to see Scheer being drafted into the PVF this November. She already possesses many of the building blocks of a future pro. She plays with poise, having learned not to “ride the wave,” as Sorensen put it. “Mentally, physically, emotionally, she's a rock. So you know what you're gonna get out of Madison every day when she comes into the gym,” he said.
“I love pressure situations,” said Scheer. “Honestly, I want the ball every time. I don't really think too much in those situations. Obviously, when big points happen, it's exciting, but I don't really like get too high or too low. I'm very even keeled.”
“On top of that, productivity-wise, if you're talking just on the court, she knows how to kill it,” said Sorensen. “A lot of times as an outside hitter, you're stuck taking out the trash. They just throw it up to you and they say, ‘Hey, go figure it out.’ And she knows how to do it. She's seen enough. She can consistently kill it and then consistently has a demeanor that everyone around her is happy to play with her.”
Scheer has a variety ways to find the floor at her disposal. I asked her to talk about her shot arsenal and she immediately listed seven ways she can score: hitting off high hands, hitting high line and deep to zone five, sending roll shots to zone four and to the middle of the court, pulling the string with a tip shot, and swiping the ball off the block.
With these options readily available to her, Scheer is able to keep opposing defenses off balance. Nevertheless, Scheer wants to become even more dangerous in her final year of college eligibility. By her own admission, she isn’t the kind of power hitter who can simply outmuscle the block. Thus, one way she can build on her offensive aptitude is by supplementing that finesse with physicality on the court. “I hope to just become more of a dynamic and bigger power hitter, and I’m working on getting my vertical higher,” said Scheer.
“Honestly, a lot of doors open up as an attacker, the higher that you get. This sounds very elementary, but it's true. That way defenses can't just go take away your line and now you’re in trouble,” agreed Sorensen.
There’s never been any question — Scheer is capable of thriving in the front row. Like nearly everyone, though, she’d like to see herself grow into a more complete six-rotation hitter. In order to make that happen, the highest priority goal she set for this spring was to improve her passing and ball control.
“In the pro leagues, there aren’t many three row outsides. If I want to achieve the goals that I have for myself, I'm definitely going to have to grow in that aspect, so that's what I've been working on a lot this spring. Obviously, you start off a little rocky when you're learning something completely new, like a whole new system with a new team. I really have enjoyed the learning process because I've already been taught so many things that I didn't know. I didn't really expect that as a senior. It definitely comes with its hiccups and it's mentally taxing, but it's been fun.” said Scheer.
“She wasn't the most steady in serve receive and she had limited opportunities at Auburn to grow in her passing. So, we're giving her that opportunity to grow and learn and get the reps required to be able to do that,” elaborated Sorensen. “Serve receive, ball handling, becoming an all around six row outside hitter, at least developing her that way. I don't know if that's where she's gonna end up in the fall, but we're gonna give her the opportunity to do it, as we will all of our athletes. She's done a nice job of taking advantage of that.”
“We're getting to the point where the feedback level doesn't need to be that much. She already kind of knows, okay, this is what I did wrong. Now I'm gonna go change it.”
Clearly, the fit between Scheer and SMU is a seamless one. The school is well-suited to expand and refine her skillset. She is hardworking and determined to bring the plan to fruition. It shouldn’t go unstated that her personality is a fit for the culture of Mustangs volleyball, which will only boost her chances of finding on-court success in 2025. Sorensen believes that her combination of talent and coachability will make her a natural fit at the next level of competition.
“Just by being who she is and communicating with her, you'll figure it out,” he concluded. “And if you don't figure it out, then you probably shouldn't be coaching.”
Some quotes were lightly edited for clarity. To watch full Auburn games, click here and here.