Savannah Matthews '19 Recruiting Profile

       My collegiate goals and aspirations are to not only get a scholarship for volleyball, but also to use that scholarship to get a college education that I can carry with me for the rest of my life.

    One of the things that makes me the perfect candidate for your team is that although I am only 5'11" right now I am still growing and I am an extremely competitive athlete. I played soccer, softball, and basketball for three years. I also ran track for two years and, in 8th grade, qualified for and competed in the State track meet in the 4x400 relay, the 200 meter dash, and the 4x200 relay, with a 7th place finish overall in the 4x200. I have decided that while doing Illini Elite, I do not have much time to pursue other sports so I chose volleyball over them all. Although I am not a multi-sport athlete anymore, I feel that I have an advantage over other student athletes, thanks to my natural athletic ability and the variety sports I have played competitively.

    Something that sets me apart from other recruits is the fact that I am 5'11" and have a 29 inch vertical jump as a Sophmore in high school, having just started my own jump training program that I do at home.  Through my club volleyball team this season, I will begin jump training so I know that my vertical jump will continue to increase.  Additionally, according to the space between my growth plates seen in a recent x-ray,  I am not done growing.  The additional inches I plan on growing plus the additional inches I hope to gain from jump training will give me a huge advantage over other potential recruits.  Another quality I have is that I can have fun while doing what I love, but I am also very aware of when it is time to focus and get to work. In addition to that, I do an exceptional job of picking my teammates up when they are having a rough practice or an off game.  Academically what makes me different from others is that I put all that I have into school and I have a 3.49/4.0 GPA because of it. Many students feel that school is a lot of work and is too challenging to keep good grades. I agree that school is challenging, but I'm looking at the big picture which is the end goal of getting my college education while being able to play the sport I love at the same time. Finally, I believe that it is necessary for me to be the best person I can be, both on the court and in the classroom. My long term goal is to be on the USA Women's National Volleyball Team because I love to play volleyball and I have always dreamed of being an Olympian!