Raina Smith '19 Recruiting Profile

I am a 6'1 sophomore from Davenport Central HS, Davenport, Iowa playing all the way around starting varsity.  I have been playing volleyball, basketball, soccer, and some tennis since 4th grade and sports are my passion, but VOLLEYBALL has always been my favorite! I have played club locally for years and last year my family and I were able to make the commitment to travel to Iowa City an hour away to increase the level of play that I have desperately desired!  It was a lot of work to make this happen but I wouldn't change a thing and worked hard to maintain my grades and make it to all the practices.  I pretty much want to play all day long!  It's all I think about from the time I wake up in the morning till I go to bed at night! When the weather is nice and I'm not in the gym, I make my mom 'pepper' with me in the front yard!  Sometimes I let my sisters join in but not usually! :)  I played varsity basketball last year as well during the season but plan to forgo basketball to be able to continue working harder at getting stronger and stronger for the upcoming club volleyball seasons.  This past year I played middle hitter for my club and high school teams because I am the tallest on the team but I hope to be back at my favorite position as an outside for the upcoming club season! I have learned to appreciate the new challenges and continue to grow each time I am on the court.  I even earned 'most outstanding blocker' at our team camp at the University of Illinois this summer. I am continuing to maintain my 4.0 GPA working towards entering the medical field. Right now I want to become a cardiac surgeon, although I may change my mind!

Being the oldest of three girls, I consider myself independent and therefore willing to go anywhere in the USA for my undergraduate study. I have taken a couple of 'solo' flights on an airplane and love the excitement and adventure! I hope to set high standards for my sisters and work really hard at all that I do.  

Financial aid will be very important to my family and I since I plan to pursue advanced degrees. 

I look very forward to beginning this adventure towards college and the strong desire I have to play sports at a higher level.  I am so grateful for all the opportunities life gives us!