Maria Byars '17 Recruiting Profile

In the 2012—2013 Club Volleyball season I made the 14's National Team and played for the Volleyball Academy (Daytona Beach, FL). Our team played well in several large tournaments including the Lone Star Classic in Dallas, TX. In the fall of 2013 I started High School and played on the Junior Varsity Volleyball Team. Our JV team won 14 out of 18 matches, and I received the Offensive Player of the Year trophy. I just finished up my 2nd Club season as a starter on The Florida Elite Volleyball Club 15's National Team. Our team won the bronze medal in our division at the Gasperilla Tournament  in Tampa, FL and the Silver Medal in our Division at the Cloverleaf Tournament in Tampa, FL.. We also played in the Big South Tournament in Atlanta, GA. This summer I am planning to attend Beach Volleyball Clinics and play in several Beach Tournaments. In August I will be training at a Volleyball Camp at the University of Pennsylvania. High School summer practice starts very soon. My hope is to work on improvement in all aspects of the game this summer and continue Volleyball at a higher level in the fall.

My educational goal right now is to go into the Field of Physical Therapy or something similar.  My grades as a freshman in high school were pretty good. My end of year GPA  is 3.928. I would like to play volleyball at an increasing higher level including the college level and be able to get a great education as well.  

I am very active in my church, with the youth activities and occasional humanitarian projects. Within in the next couple of years I plan to participate in a Global Leadership Adventure  project in Africa . This is a program that I hope will help develop my educational and leadership abilities and also be an adventure that will let me experience more of the world.