Taylor Ford '22 Recruiting Profile

I have played volleyball for a little over three years. Although I have tried other sports, I chose to stick with soccer and volleyball because they are my favorite and I have the most fun playing them. I played one season of rec volleyball before entering 7th grade, knowing I wanted to try out for the volleyball team at my middle school. As I played, my love for the sport grew and I was driven to becoming better.  I always worked my hardest because I did not want to dissappoint my teammates, my coaches or my parents. There may always be someone bigger, faster, or stronger that me, but no one has the heart I have, and no one can out work me. I am always hard on myself and expect the best from myself everyday. 

I know I can achieve a 4.0 GPA. So if my grade in a class starts to slip, I talk to the teacher and see what I can do to better understand, do extra credit, or retake tests in an effort to maintain my grades. I use this same strategy with my sports: If I don't believe I did a good job in a game, then I will work harder in practices, get private training from other coaches, and work on drills at home. 

I plan to bring all my dedication and discipline in sports and academics, to college with me. I want to get a four year degree. I want to leave college prepared for any job. My family and friends influence me daily to be the best version of myself I can be. I have good time managment, balancing playing two year round sports and the seasonal high school sport at the same time, while maintaing a 4.0. I take criticism and build off of it. One time, I did not make the desired team I wanted in competitive volleyball. I cried for a few days, but picked myself back up and continued to pick my head up and work hard at every practice. I became frustrated but I never gave up on myself and kept working hard. I was able to overcome an obstacle and pushed through. This year I had improved enough to make the Junior Varsity volleyball team as a Freshman at my high school (not the Freshman team). The obstacles I have to overcome may not be as bad as what some others girls may have to endure. However, it was impactful to me and it changed me to be a stronger person. I am very passionate and believe in my team. I always encourage the other girls because I know what they're capable of, and I always want to encourage others. I am very independent because I want all my accomplishments to be earned and not given. I don't ever want anyone to think I was handed anything. I have worked hard to get to where I am at and I plan to continue to improve regularly. Last but not least, I always get along with my teammates. They have become like family to me. We are always there for each other, pick each other up, and lean on each other as needed, because we all have the same love for volleyball. Some of these teammates have become my best friends as well.