John Cunningham '17 Recruiting Profile

I enjoyed playing volleyball growing up, but the schools in western New York do not offer volleyball as a competitive sport.  However, my family moved to northern Illinois from western New York in the middle of my Sophomore year,  and the school I enrolled in was just holding tryouts for their first-ever men's volleyball team.  I was fortunate enough to make the JV team, and played the season as as a Middle Hitter.  I enjoyed the competitive game so much that I tried out for the Rockford Club in the Fall,  and made was selected to be on one of their teams as a Middle Hitter.  When the next school season started, I made the Varsity roster - the only Junior on a team full of Seniors.  I started the season as a Middle Hitter, but partway through the season my coach asked me to play Opposite / Right Side.  I picked it up quickly, and really enjoy playing Opposite (though I still enjoy playing Middle, too!).

I'm now entering my Senior year, and I'm looking forward to finishing my high school career strongly, both in class and on the volleyball court.  My Honors and AP classes have helped to prepare me for college academics.  However, if someone had asked me just 18 months ago about playing sports in college, it would not have been a high priority for me, but I've come to love playing volleyball and very much want to be a contributor to a successful college team while I get my degree.