Sydney Hoeft '23 Recruiting Profile

My name is Sydney Hoeft, and I'm a senior at Port Washington High School. My team finished our conference play with a record of 6-3. All three of our losses went to 5 sets - against Hartford, West Bend West, and Nicolet. Heading into playoffs, we were given the #4 seed for our region. Our first match we won in 3 sets against Milwaukee Madison. Our 2nd round match was against #5 Grafton, who we defeated in 4 sets. It came down to us and the #1 seed, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, for the regional championships, and after 4 competitive sets, we pulled out a win. That was the first time in school history we had won regionals. Sectionals was against #2 Pewaukee for round 1, and we beat them in 4 sets to head to the sectional championship. My season ended with a loss to Wisconsin Lutheran in the sectional championships. However, this was a huge year for my program, and for me as well. My personal goal for this season was to reach 2,000 career assists, and I achieved that. I was also awarded a 1st Team All-Conference mention. Looking back, I'm very happy with my senior season.

My junior high school season was also a big improvement for both myself and my team. My team finished 7th in our conference with a record of 4-5. We took down the #1, undefeated team in the North Shore Conference, Cedarburg, during our final conference match. I had also reached another personal goal of 1,000 career assists.

Playing in a conference of nearly all D1 schools and being a D2 school previously hadn't resulted in many victories. However, as a program, these last two years we have been stepping up our game and making a name for ourselves. I have been honored to accept the challenge and improve both my physical and leadership abilities the last 4 years.

I started playing volleyball in 5th grade at St. John XXIII, and played all throughout middle school. In both 7th and 8th grade, my team qualified for the Elizabeth Seton Statewide tournament. In 7th grade, we took 3rd place in D2, but in 8th grade, we took home the gold in Division 2.  

As for club volleyball, I first tried out in 6th grade for I Am Volleyball Club as an outside hitter. I ended up making the team, however, it was decided by my coach that I should try setting because he thought I had great hands. So I tried it, a little hesitant at first, but I ended up loving it. Since then, I've been playing for I Am VBC , and plan on continuing with that program. During my 14's season, my team qualified for the JVA World Challenge in Kentucky, and finished 5th out of the 79 teams in 14s Club. Unfortunately, my 15's season came to an early close due to COVID-19. Last year, however, my team proved overall successful in the Badger Region. We finished 1st at the Bay Bash, 2nd at the Badger Region Championships, 1st at the Prep Dig Battle in the Valley, and finally 2nd at the Juniors Grand Slam. I'm super proud of how my teammates and I performed. We found ourselves in the championships of nearly every tournament. 

This past year, my team once again finished 2nd in the Badger Region Championships. We also competed in the Prep Dig Resolution Tournament and in Indianapolis at the Girls Junior National Championships. Although we were not able to compete in the qualifier we had planned on attending, we were still able to attend nationals in the Patriot division. Going into the tournament, we were seeded 12. On day 3, however, we knocked out the 6th and 4th seeds, which put us as the new 4 seed and guaranteed us a spot in the gold bracket. My team finished in the tie for 5th place in the Patriot division, but I'm proud of how we played and am overall happy that we received the chance to compete in Indianapolis - it was an awesome experience to finish off our season.

When it comes to my academics, I always try my hardest to maintain a 3.75 GPA or higher, and accelerate in all of my classes - honors, AP, and regular. This past year my weighted GPA hit 4.19, proving that my academics mean just as much to me as volleyball does. That's what makes me a well rounded student-athlete.

What makes me a good candidate for your team, however, is my ability to be a leader both on and off the court. As expected, the competition my teams have faced proved to be difficult at times, but a leader's job is to pull their team through and keep them playing their hardest. That's where I stand out from the rest. I have what it takes to keep my team going through our hardest, and stay consistent when at our best.