Iris Archibald '22 Recruiting Profile

I’m currently a junior with big ambitions and a love for volleyball. I want to attend an academically challenging college that will allow me to take advantage of the given opportunities I have there, such as international study. I have been playing volleyball since the 7th grade but since a younger age I'd known I'd wanted to play this sport. Throughout my 4 years of playing volleyball I have been lucky enough to play every position and that has given me a needed perspective of the court as a current DS.  

For the first semester of my freshmen year I took the opportunity to try a different sport, tennis. After finishing my freshmen tennis season, I worked hard to be able to play club that season by putting in extra time at the gym and getting private lessons with former  D1 Penn State volleyball player, Jullie Miller. For the first semester of my sophomore year I was in Taiwan as I was doing a semester abroad. There I took the opportunity to explore, learn, and try so many new things. I started on both the JV and Varsity volleyball team, working with a coach who didn’t speak my language and I didn’t speak hers. I was able to help coach and become a new court leader for my fellow teammates, as this team wasn’t as competitive as my club team. I also took the opportunity to try two new sports, ultimate frisbee and basketball. For me the semester abroad was a personal journey of learning about and bettering  myself, as well as learning about other cultures including my birth culture, as I was adopted from China. It taught me that I’m adaptable, willing to try new things and work with new people, considering I’m generally a quiet, reserved person. 

As a player I am adaptive, caring, respectful, competitive, and coachable. I hope to go to a college that pushes me both academically and athletically.