The Franklin & Marshall volleyball program has a long and storied history of success and Meredith B. Sandherr '95 was one of the key components of F&M's early dominance in the Centennial Conference. The Diplomats went a combined 98-31 during Sandherr's four years, including a 34-4 record inside the Mayser Center.
Named the Centennial Conference Player of the Year in 1994, Sandherr set new school records for kills (468), kills per set (4.54), points (542.5), and points per set (5.27) during that historic season, which resulted in F&M advancing to its first-ever NCAA Tournament. Her single-season records for both kills and points per set still stand as the F&M record nearly 30 years later. Sandherr's kills per set during the 1994 season ranks as the third-highest all-time in the Centennial Conference under that scoring format used from 1993 through the turn of the new century. She finished her career as a four-time all-conference player, earning first-team honors during both of her seasons in the Middle Atlantic Conference (1991, 1992) before repeating that first-team recognition during her senior player-of-the-year campaign.
While the offensive numbers alone are staggering, Sandherr took great pride in her ability to contribute to the team in a number of ways. She recorded 1,113 digs during her career and is just one of 12 players in program history with 1,000-plus kills and one of just 21 with 1,000-plus digs. Just seven players who have played at Franklin & Marshall can claim to have accomplished both of those feats.
Contributing to the team's success in so many facets, Sandherr's name is littered throughout the Franklin & Marshall record book, as she holds a top-15 school ranking in 12 different statistical categories. Most notable among those were her graduating with the school record in kills (1,304), kills per set (3.55), hitting percentage (.272), service aces (125), and digs (1,113). Her career kills record still ranks her among the top five players in program history.
Sandherr's presence on the court definitely left an impact on F&M volleyball for years to come as that historic 1994 season started a string of five national tournament appearances in six years. She helped the Diplomats make their debut in the Centennial Conference with a bang, winning the first two conference titles during the 1993 and 1994 seasons. During her final two seasons, she led the Centennial Conference in hitting percentage in conference play as she swung .363 and .338.
After pursuing a professional career in the financial services field following her graduation, Sandherr moved from Baltimore to a 100-acre learning center and working farm. It was through that experience that she found her passion for a career in education. Although she no longer does her teaching on the farm, Sandherr can still be found educating the youth of America at a private school that focuses on children who have dyslexia and other language-based learning differences.
Teaching science to middle schoolers remains her true passion, but Sandherr continues to stay involved in the athletic realm. Along with traditional school lessons, she has taken her students on adventures that include skiing, whitewater rafting, caving, and camping. In order to give her students a well-rounded educational experience, she coaches soccer, basketball, and lacrosse to keep her busy during the year. Adding to her skills in her professional field, Sandherr earned a master's degree in teaching from Goucher College during 2012. She focused most of her studies on elementary school and special education, enabling her to receive a state teaching license. Today, Sandherr can be found teaching seventh grade physical science at Friends School of Baltimore.
