Hall of Fame
Playing volleyball to Mary Clare was always about having fun, and when it stopped she made what turned out to be a life changing decision that brought her east to Towson where her spirit was rekindled and she found the missing fun in her sport again.
A second team All-Interscholastic Association Federation selection and two-time first team All-Mission League player from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., Mary Clare was heavily recruited, finally settling on the University of Tennessee. After a year, though, she left the Volunteers’ program.
“For the first time in my life I wasn't having fun playing a sport,” she said. “So I decided to transfer.”
Mary Clare reached out to Towson where she knew the coach from a previous contact. “Volleyball had taken me all over,” Mary Clare said. “I didn't care how big the school was or how big the name was. But if I wasn't having fun, I couldn't be a part of it.”
Mary Clare arrived at Towson at a pivotal time when the Tigers were elevating their program to a higher level. Her first year at Towson coincided with the Tigers’ inaugural year in the Colonial Athletic Association. During her three years (2002-04) the Tigers compiled a 64-24 overall record and a 36-8 league mark that included an unbeaten 14-0 campaign in conference play. She helped the Tigers to their very first regular season and subsequent conference tourney championship in 2004 that earned TU its first NCAA Tournament berth.
Statistically Mary Clare left her mark on the program, ranking among the all-time leaders with 3,078 career assists and 144 service aces. The 1400 assists she recorded in 2003 were among the most for a season in program and CAA history.
One of just two Tigers named to the CAA’s prestigious Silver Anniversary Team, Mary Clare was a first team All-CAA selection in both her junior and senior years when she was also the conference Setter of the Year. In 2003 she was selected the CAA’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year for volleyball. A biology major, she was honored twice as a CoSIDA Academic All-District II selection. In 2004 she was named Towson’s Female Athlete of the Year.
Mary Clare continued her volleyball career after graduating from Towson, playing professionally in Germany and Spain. In 2007 she joined the staff at the United States Naval Academy. During the summer months she played for the All-Navy team, helping Navy win the gold medal at the U.S. All-Armed Forces Games. In 2007 and 2008 she was a member of the US All-Star squad that competed in the Military Olympic Games in Germany.
