Will Hopkins '22 Recruiting Profile

I have been playing volleyball for many years and it is a sport I truly love. I began playing volleyball since the third grade. In 7th and 8th grade, my school team won the CII-3A Athletic League championship. At my volleyball club, I started out playing Youth Academy for 3 years and then played club for 5 more years.  In February 2020 my club team placed second in the USA division in the Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Classic.  In my freshman year, I made the "A" team and we went onto win the conference. Volleyball is a great sport that has stuck with me for many years, and hopefully for many more years to come. 

Throughout my volleyball journey, I have played many positions including outside, right-side, libero, and DS.  I love outside and libero though! It gives me such a thrill when I make a great dig or get that perfect hit. I am currently training with a libero coach that was on the Japanese National Team and received ten best libero awards in four years. I try to watch as much professional volleyball as I can and there are many players that I admire. Those include Mako Kobata and David Wieczorek. I admire Kobata's defensive skills and commitment. She never gives up on any balls and even saves the "impossible" hits. Wieczorek also gives me inspiration because he played at my club. He gives me hope that I can do much with my volleyball career. 

My next goal is to play collegiate volleyball at a college that has a very good academic program.  It's very important for me to balance the sport I love but to also get a great education. I sometimes think about opening a volleyball club up with my brother who wants the same thing. This could keep us involved with the sport for years and years to come.