Abby Austin '20 Recruiting Profile

My name is Abby Austin. I’m 17 years old and attend St. Philip Catholic High School in Battle Creek, Michigan where I'm currently in 11th grade. I made the varsity volleyball team as a freshman. I started playing volleyball in the 4th grade and didn't get serious with the sport until 7th grade. Throughout my years of volleyball I have been setting both long and short term goals for myself, such as making the regional team for Dead Frog, being the captain of my club teams and make varsity as a freshmen. Through hard work and much dedication, I have been able to accomplish my short term and long term goals. My first long term goal that I accomplished was to make varsity as a freshman. Through hard work and many hours of practicing, (club, camps, position training), it paid off. Not only did I make the varsity team but I was one of two players that never left the floor. I also was named 1^st team all-conference my freshmen year.  As a Junior I accomplished 1st team- All-Conference, All- City, All-District, All-Regional and 2nd team All State.  My current long term goal is to play volleyball in college. I am going to continue to push myself through hard work and learn as much as I can about the game of volleyball. This will help me to improve my skills to achieve this goal. I want to take volleyball to the next level in my life after I graduate from high school.

Currently I am a setter and I love that position. I love that I have the ability to run different plays with my teammates, know their strengths and weaknesses and how I can use that to our advantage. The setter’s position also pushes me to be a better defensive player because of the fast reaction needed in that position. This past year I gained valuable experience on the varsity team by playing in 143 of the 146 set played in the season and 98.3% of the total 5,859 points for the season. This gave me the opportunity to play against many different schools (some of the largest schools in Southwest Michigan), where I learned different strategies to be successful. For example- is the team running a 5/1 or 6/2?  Could the setter hit second balls?  Does the setter like to tip forward or backwards?  Does the hitters like to hit line or cross court? Understanding this strategy helped me to become a better leader on our team.

I look forward to discussing with you about what I can bring to your School in 2020!