You can pretty much always find senior Hanna Alexander on the volleyball court. She started on the varsity team as a setter her freshman year at MICDS and also plays for Rockwood Thunder Volleyball Club. Her dedication was no doubt a factor when she was recruited by Bradley University—and her skill obviously helped, too.
“I’m really excited,” Alexander says. “The coach at Bradley is from St. Louis and knew my club coach, so she came to some tournaments and saw me play. When my dad and I visited the campus, I loved the team dynamics.”
The 18-year-old started playing volleyball in the third grade at Forsyth as something to do with her friends. “My coach took a special interest in me and helped coach me on the side because she saw how much I liked it, and Coach Maurer at MICDS has helped me a lot, too.” Alexander has grown into her role as a team leader on and off the court. “As a freshman on the varsity squad, I was pretty shy,” she says. “My coaches made me into more of a leader, and I was chosen by them and the team as a co-captain this year. It was nice to step into that role.” She helped new players from the junior varsity squad bond with the team. “We had such a good group this year,” Alexander says. “We always did dinner after practice. We’re all really close, which made it that much easier when we played. The mental aspect of the game is a big part of it.”
Alexander has been named to the Metro League All-Conference team and the All-District team the last two years, and to the Academic All-Conference team this year. The high school season finished in the fall, so she is currently focusing on her club team. “We play some tournaments in St. Louis and travel to play in the qualifying tournaments for Nationals in July,” she explains. A team gets a bid to Nationals either at Regionals or by placing in the top three at any qualifying tournament. “I’ve been the last two years, and we definitely want to make it this year,” she says. “We’re hoping to play in the open division, the highest one.”
Alexander says there are numerous things she loves about the sport, and it’s something that gets her through the day. “I like having teammates there for support,” she says. “You’re not going to play 100 percent each point of every game, so to have people who can pick up for your mistakes is nice. It’s just a great atmosphere.”
