Personal Statement
My name is Maya Sapsford, and I am a 5’7” setter from Washington DC. I first developed a passion for volleyball growing up in Tokyo, Japan. The sport has been a constant for me, and it helped me through a tough personal transition when my family moved from Tokyo to DC the summer before my freshman high school year. I attend Maret School in DC, which is known for academic rigor, and while I have yet to decide what to study in college, my strengths include social sciences and foreign languages (I grew up speaking Japanese, and I am currently in my second year of Chinese). Lately, I’ve also been doing well in chemistry and algebra, and have been recommended to join the advanced pre-calculus class my junior year. Since childhood, I have had an interest in the visual arts, and am fortunate my school is strong in this area; my art teacher is suggesting I put together a portfolio of my growing body of work, and that I consider art as an option for college. On the court, I was starting setter for my school’s JV team freshman year, and the starting Varsity setter for sophomore season. Maret is formerly an all-girls school, and while it has become co-ed, the “homecoming” style event of the fall season is still a highly-anticipated Friday night girls’ volleyball game. Last year, we squeaked out a victory, and it was truly an honor to have made a contribution, especially for one of the final games for the seniors. For club, I was starting setter as a 14-year-old freshman for my 17u team, the Capital City Elite. While young for my grade, I’ve played on CCE as the main setter for the past two years, and developed not only athletic skills, but the ability to read the defense and provide direction on the court, real time. One of the joys of CCE is playing with a powerful 6’1” hitter with whom I have developed excellent rhythm. I love setting for this teammate, and when we’re clicking, we are literally unstoppable. My inspiration is Tyler, my older brother, who as co-captain of his high school baseball team was recruited to pitch for Yale University. Like him, I too am interested in playing college ball at a challenging institution that will prepare me for success in life.
