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Profile: Anna Mapes
Back on the court
By Gary Brown

Anna Mapes is a Volleyball Mom. Similar to the traditional soccer version, Mapes packs her two young children in the family van for practice, only she’s the one being dropped off.

Mapes, a 29-year-old middle blocker at Metropolitan State, may be the epitome of the attributes in Division II’s identity campaign. She craves learning, competes hard, relies on resourcefulness and, perhaps most of all, balances a challenging and rewarding life few of her student peers get to experience.

Also in the true spirit of Division II, Mapes chose Metro State, an urban campus in the heart of Denver known for its academic and athletics prowess, as the backdrop for this stage in her life.

And what a stage it is.

First, there’s volleyball, which seemed an unlikely outcome for a young girl bred on gymnastics and diving. But Mapes, now 5-foot-10, grew into volleyball stardom at her hometown Chaska, Minnesota, high school – state champions her senior year. She was good enough to earn a scholarship at Mississippi and be a starter for two seasons before having her college career – and her life in general – interrupted by a medical issue (see accompanying story).

Second, there’s the student component – she’s a civil engineering/technology major about 30 months from a degree. Though she’s an older student, she’s on a campus at Metro State that caters to the nontraditional student (the average age of the student body is about 26), so Mapes says, “I don’t feel like the ‘old person’ on campus at all.”

Then there’s the mom thing. Married in 2004 to husband Andrew, an emergency room doctor, Mapes gave birth to daughter Ava and son Liam while the couple lived in Durango, Colorado. That’s where Mapes was an assistant volleyball coach at Fort Lewis, where she rekindled her desire to complete her playing career. In fact, she’s one of the few college volleyball players to have coaching experience before making her last serve.

While learning NCAA rules as a coach, Mapes found she had eligibility remaining as a player. She had assumed that her five-year clock had expired – as it would have had she stayed in Division I – but she discovered new life in Division II.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about trying to play again,” she said. “One night, I mentioned it to my husband and he said, ‘Let’s do it.’

“When you have children and become a mother, you reflect on who you are and what you want from your life. I needed completion. I didn’t ever want to have regrets in terms of what I could control. I had to do this.”

Metro State gave her the chance. The family moved to Denver, and Anna – trying out in front of Metro State assistant coach Lisa Axel, whom she had played against in high school – earned a spot.

Now she’s more than a mom – she’s a student-athlete managing a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

“This definitely takes a master of time management – and a great husband,” Mapes said. “I am well aware this is a very selfish thing I’m doing. But having said that, the time I do spend with my husband and my children is better. I make more of it and it’s a higher-quality time.”