Carroll Community College adding volleyball in 2023

The Lynx are getting set to add a sixth program in the fall.

It's a quiet spring sports season at Carroll Community College, where the Lynx men's and women's lacrosse teams are on hiatus. But, Carroll is expanding its athletics program.

The Lynx recently announced the addition of women's volleyball as part of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II program for the fall of 2023.

Carroll will play its home matches at Coppermine PantherPlex in Hampstead, and leading the program into its inaugural season is former Manchester Valley volleyball coach Teri Leatherwood.

"As a huge advocate for athletics at Carroll, I was super excited when I learned the school planned to start a volleyball program," Leatherwood said in a March 16 news release. "When I got offered the position, I did not hesitate to accept."

Leatherwood works at the college as an administrative assistant for student engagement. She has been coaching volleyball in the county for more than 15 years, with a decade spent at Man Valley.

She led the Mavericks to a Carroll County Athletic League championship in 2016.

"Volleyball seems to be more and more popular," Leatherwood said in the news release. "At Carroll, we want to allow ... student-athletes to play at the next level."

Carroll's lacrosse teams were set to begin playing this month, but athletic director Bill Kelvey said the Lynx made the difficult decision to cancel both seasons because of low numbers and a few injuries along the way.

Kelvey said he hopes the school's recent unveiling of future plans for a stadium and athletics facility will help to increase numbers throughout the sports program.