Payton Van Veen '21 Recruiting Profile

Perhaps nothing has made me a  stronger player, better teammate, harder worker, or more knowledgeable player than experiencing back-to-back ACL injuries (Dec. 2018 and Sept. 2019, left and right knees). My recovery has been excellent and currently I'm jumping higher and am physically stronger than I've ever been before, but that's not the whole story.

The reason I highlight what some may (as I originally did) see as a negative is that those injuries made me realize what I love/what I have a passion for. It wasn't easy and there were times that I questioned myself, but especially following the second injury it helped me to realize the commitment it would take to play collegiate balI. Up until then, my path was set -- I had verballed to a D-1 school as a freshman, but two consecutive years of coaching changes saw my scholarship offer pulled (as I was injured and the team needed some immediate rebuilding).

Since, then I have turned a corner, I've always been a leader on the court, vocal and encouraging, but now I had to sit and observe and I learned so much about the game, anticipation, movement, and understanding of the coaching perspective. I also became passionate about working out, eating right, and doing the extra in order to not only "catch up" to girls who weren't injured, but to surpass them. Hard work creates results, and the work may not always be fun, but the results are worth the sweat and effort. 

I am and have always been a team player and emotional leader -- I celebrate my teammates' great plays as well as my own. And when we need a point, I want the ball, whether that's coming to me on the serve to pass it up, tracking down a pass to get it to a teammate, or going for the kill. There are times when I am not happy about how things are going on the court, but I channel frustration well — using it as motivation to raise my play and bring my teammates with me.

In the end, on and off the court, my team can count on me giving my best.