Laila Ned '27 Recruiting Profile

Hello my name is Laila Ned, I am currently a freshman Outside Hitter and Defensive Specialist at Pebblebrook High school in Mableton Georgia. I live with my mother Sharifa Ned my father Valder Ned and my older brother Amari Ned. I was inspired to play volleyball because my mother played when she was younger and earned a division I scholarship to Bethune-Cookman University, my father also earned a basketball scholarship and played Division I at Bethune-Cookman also. This is special to me because this is where they met and began a life together then along came me. My mother tells me stories about how she was coaching volleyball with me in her belly; I have been playing volleyball for as long as I can remember it has always been a fun sport to me. I remember being a little kid on vacation and wanting to play volleyball with the beach ball, we did this often while visiting Daytona where my parents went to school at. We would go as a family during homecoming and I would always get an opportunity to meet the volleyball team and coaches, during the homecoming weekend the volleyball team would have a match. I remember telling my mom last year that I want to practice with the team but the coach said I wasn't allowed to. I feel I am a good candidate for your college volleyball team because I love the sport and love playing the game of volleyball, when I go workout I don't think of it as oh I have to workout to get better, I think to myself I get a chance to play this game and get better while I enjoy it. I will play the game with passion and I respect the work that goes into playing the game on a high level. I am different from other recruits in character because my parents always discuss with me and my brother that it takes a special person to work hard to become a D1 athlete and I want to be a D1 athlete, I am willing to put the work in and always willing to learn from other coaches and trainers. I also understand that I have to be a stellar student first I was accepted into the STEAM Academy for Advanced Academics a choice I made because I know that college will be hard so I wanted to take as many AP and Honors classes to try and get a fell for how it will be when I go to a university. I take school seriously and really look forward to learning in college and representing whatever school I attend on the court. Lastly, I love team sports especially when everyone has the same goal and desire. My teammates and the connects and relationships that I am able to get from playing sports was a healthy outlet during Covid, and it made me understand interactions on the court in a different way. I look forward to growing as a player physically and mentally.