Sayde McDermott '17 Recruiting Profile

I think I stand out from other recruits because I am an all-around player I recently completed my Girl Scout Gold Award where I tried to increase the enrollment of girls in volleyball programs within my community.  I had a 5 day camp which I taught girls ages 9 to 13 the basics of volleyball and it ended with a tournament.   

As an athlete, I have many qualities that I believe that I can bring to my team that will positively benefit the group of people I will be spending a lot of time with both in and out of the court.  These characteristics include not just my athletic abilities, but also my desire to achieve a higher level of play, while developing relationships with my teammates. I am a loud player on the court, an encourager, a competitor, but most importantly a leader on and off the court. I do not give up, I push others to be the best players and people they can be. I am also a student of the sport, which means I continually learn new techniques and scan the floor in order to make smarter and more effective plays within games.

I am attending college to succeed in both academics, in business with an emphasis in marketing, and athletics equally. I set very high goals for myself as a person and as an athlete and I constantly encourage my teammates to do the same. One thing that is very important to me is team chemistry and compatibility. We need to learn how to work together and not only play with each other, but for each other as a family. The mental aspect of the game is just as important as the physical.  The team chemistry is a huge component of that mental game as well. With a highly compatible team, the desire to win and work hard is evident and it definitely pays off in the game. I look forward to college because it is an opportunity to play with new people and new coaches who will all contribute to my skills and knowledge of the game of volleyball.