Coming from a home of volleyball players and playing since the sixth grade, Hope Kelley (‘14) seems destined to play volleyball in college. Receiving over five interest letters from various schools such as the University of Mississippi, Kelley looks forward to next year and the tough decision of picking the right school to go to

“I hope to go to a school that will give me a full ride scholarship. If there are multiple offers than I can narrow down my choices from there,” said Kelley.

“I started playing volleyball because my sister and my parents really wanted me to try it out. They knew I was going to be tall because my whole family is over six feet and they knew I had the ability to be successful.” Who knew though, that Hope would be this successful and get interest letters from so many schools?

With the position of outside hitter, Kelley has to be alert and ready for anything to happen.

“Hope is someone you can count on to make her serve during a pressured spot in the game. She is a hard worker and a killer hitter!” said varsity teammate Ella Wade (‘13). Kelley knows not only how work hard, but to also help out her teammates when they need it most.

“Hope is encouraging and energetic on and off the court. If one player gets down on themselves, Hope will do her best to let them know it’s okay.” says varsity teammate Elena Ulizio (‘14). With these qualities, Kelley is shaping up to be a good candidate for college. “Hope is a great player with a great attitude. She genuinely seems happy to be at practice every day and to work on getting better.” says Coach Mesa.

Not only playing varsity volleyball, Kelley is also on a travel team that travels the country to play in different tournaments. She makes daily two hour trips to D.C. just to practice and that is along with the games she has to attend with the school team. So far, they are undefeated and with a talented group of girls, the team is bound to keep that streak going.

“I do feel pressured at times because I feel that if I have a bad game that people will be disappointed in me especially since volleyball runs in the family,” said Kelley. Hope does struggle at times to keep up with her school work due to all of this exciting news but she tries her best to juggle everything.

“Volleyball is my life. It controls everything. If I want to do something with my friends, I have to make sure that I don’t have volleyball. Although the sport is demanding, it is completely worth it to me. I really just love the sport.” says Kelley.

Although the sport can be demanding and challenging, it has a positive outcome. The sport teaches players to be positive and to stay mentally strong in tough situations.

“Being on a team with Hope is enjoyable because she is fun but gets serious when it’s time to play.” said Elena Ulizio.

Hopefully, Hope has an easy time choosing a college, but for now she knows that she needs to keep playing like she normally does and to not fall under pressure.