Blade Welch '20 Recruiting Profile

    Growing up, I practiced volleyball with my sister any chance i got. However, with a 10 year age gap, my sister soon graduated, moved out, and I was left to practice by myself. I would hit, set, and pass my volleyball against the roof of my garage. My mom would always help me practice when she could as well. There is a stigma that volleyball is only for girls, and with that, none of the boys in my school wanted to play volleyball, so I became best friends with a girl down the road. We spent summers constantly playing volleyball with each other, and it was my freshman year that I was invited to play in a pick-up tournament. This was my first taste of real competition, seeing as I was a boy playing against adults who had competed at the collegiate level.

    Sophomore year was my saving grace. The head coach of my high school’s girls volleyball team recognized my passion for the sport and lack of opportunity to play, and gave me the spot of manager for the team. I spent the season practicing with the team and learned the ins-and-outs of volleyball. Since that first tournament, I have played in several others--the most recent one competing against a player who was in the junior Olympics for Brazil. My team took 2nd overall in the tournament.

    This year, I plan on maintaining a high GPA, gaining a higher ACT score, competing on a club volleyball team, and continuing my manager position on my school’s team. I want to be able to show coaches that, given the opportunity, I can be an asset to their team, with my passion, hustle, and grit to become the best volleyball player I can be.