Rachael Huang '23 Recruiting Profile

Hi! My name is Rachael Huang. I am 17 years old and currently a junior attending Hopkins School in New Haven, Connecticut, a college-preparatory private day school that is ranked the #1 private day school in the state of Connecticut. I have attended this school since seventh grade, where I started on the JV volleyball team.

I have been a starter on Varsity since eighth grade. It was daunting being the youngest player on the team, but I knew that putting in the work would bring positive results. In my freshman year, I was proud to assist my team as we advanced to and won the FAA (Fairchester Athletic Association) conference for the first time and made history for the sport of volleyball at our school. After winning conference finals, we continued on to the 2019 NEPSAC Class A Girls' Volleyball Championships, where we earned silver. In this season, I earned a FAA First-Team award.

The 2021 fall season was my fourth year starting on the Varsity team. We won the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) conference for the second year in a row (after the 2020 season was cancelled due to the pandemic) and we were semifinalists in the NEPSAC Class A Championship. I earned a FAA First-Team award,  a NEPSAC Honorable Mention, and was elected captain for the 2022 fall season. I am beyond excited to lead my team and see what the upcoming school season brings.

I have been playing for my club team, Evergreen Volleyball Academy, (EVA) since 2016. EVA is a high level, elite club where I have learned from very experienced coaches who have played professionally in China. In February 2019, we participated in and won the New England AAU Providence Grand Prix. My team also participated in the March 2019 Nike Mideast Qualifier (MEQ), 2019 AAU Nationals, and 2020 AAU Nationals. In July 2019, I attended USA Volleyball's A2 National Training Program in South Carolina. I have been selected for the AVCA Phenom Watchlist in 2019 and 2020. In December 2019, I attended the Phenom College Preparatory Program. I was very fortunate to have these opportunities, which allowed me to play with and learn from some of the best volleyball players across the nation.

I grew up playing a variety of sports. Volleyball was not my first sport, but it is the sport that I have loved and dedicated myself to the most. It takes a high level of dedication and persistence in order to succeed, but this can be achieved through hard work in practice and games. I dedicate myself fully to each practice so that I can develop my skills and confidence. 

I value my academics immensely. Being a student-athlete is about finding the balance between schoolwork and athletics, but I have maintained both well with time management, maintaining a high GPA each school year. In the future, I hope to attend a college that will fulfill and challenge me academically, and one that will allow me to continue my volleyball experience at an advanced level. I look forward to pushing and improving myself, physically and mentally, to become the best player and student that I can be.