Madelyn Hooper '21 Recruiting Profile

The first time I got to play volleyball, it was at a camp in second grade.  After that, I played at a few other camps and biddy tournaments, and then got to play on my middle school team in 7th and 8th grade.  I started playing JO Volleyball when I was 13 and had a coach and a club that believed in me, and showed me that I really could do this and play volleyball at a higher level.  Right before my freshman year, I had to make a decision to either transfer to a rival school with a more experienced coach and a better program, or stay where I was already comfortable but maybe not improve as much as I could have.  As hard as it was, I made the choice to transfer schools.

After all the summer leagues and workout programs with my new teammates, I got to the first day of practice and suffered a severe high ankle sprain during a hitting drill.  All of a sudden, I was in a boot and couldn't play for six weeks.  It was not a good start at a new school.  I couldn't believe how much I hated sitting on the sidelines keeping stats and not playing.  

But through the following JO season and over the summer, I worked to improve my speed and agility and made the starting lineup as a sophomore on the varsity team.  We were State Ranked almost all season and ended with a 21-3 record.  That Freshman year put me through a lot of rough moments, but it has made me better, and it has made me work even harder.  I want to continue to challenge myself and play at the highest level that I can.