Amelia Devlin '22 Recruiting Profile

      Hi, my name is Amelia Devlin! I am a 5’10” SETTER/OPP graduating in 2022 from the PIAA 4A state-finalist Bishop Shanahan High School, in Downingtown, PA, and top Pennsylvania volleyball club, East Coast Power (KOP). I am looking for a college experience that will expose me to new ways of thinking, inspire me to explore the world, and enable me to give back all while enabling me to continue to compete at the highest level on the court.

       Over the past 5 years, I have been a key contributor on both my club and high school teams, especially in critical games/tournaments like our back-to-back high school Ches-Mont league championships. Throughout my volleyball career, my coaches have always relied on me to inspire my teammates with my hustle and determination.  No ball is getting past me without me putting in 150%+ effort to stop it.  With no fear of hitting the floor in an all-out sprint, this is one of my competitive qualities I am most proud of: getting the “un-gettable” ball.  You will never hear me complain about a few bruises (AKA lovingly referred to as "hustle scars") so long as it keeps the play going. Not every play will end in a point for my team, but if I can inspire my team to fight for every point and put in their best effort too, every play will end with mutual respect which builds team morale and trust.

       Not only am I a fighter, but I will play wherever you put me so long as it makes the team better.  This flexibility is another quality that I bring to the court.  I have been playing both setter and opposite for school and club for several years and I believe that knowing the game from different positions has helped me become a smarter and more well-rounded player.  Not only does this versatility give my coach more roster options to keep my hustle on the court, but it helps me be more thoughtful in the game, strategizing as a setter and delivering as a hitter. It also builds the confidence of my team and coaches in me when emergency situations arise. During a tournament last year, our MB hurt her ankle and had to sit out for the rest of the game. This led to my coach throwing me into the middle, where I did more than just fill a spot, but also ended up contributing with quite a few blocks and kills.

       Other than my skills on the court as a setter, I am always the team cheerleader on and off the court.  I am known to always be encouraging my teammates, pumping them up, helping them get out of their heads and continue to fight one point at a time, especially with less experienced players on my high school team.  Getting stuck in a slump doesn’t just affect you, it affects the whole team, so I try my hardest to make sure everyone is focused and playing in the present.  Dwelling on errors and hanging on to the past is a vicious cycle that you must push past to be successful.

       This year, I have started taking my love of the game back to my grade school where I was the assistant coach to the varsity volleyball team.  Coaching 7th and 8th graders really put the game into perspective for me.  By translating my training and experience into tips and tricks for these young players, I gained a deeper appreciation for and understanding of the mechanics of the game. You can’t really help someone grasp a concept if you don’t fully grasp it yourself. It was also a great feeling knowing that I was helping the future generation of volleyball players become the best players they could be. It was a great experience and I plan on helping the team again in their future seasons.

       Academically, I have been a consistently good student and am currently in all honors courses with a 4.66 GPA.  Although I am still exploring my options for study in college, my interests have always centered around medicine.  I spent many years thinking I would become a veterinarian, but most recently my interests have switched to sports medicine as I have become somewhat of a “personal trainer/physical therapist” for both of my teams. I love helping people and would love to stay in the world of athletics after college, so sports medicine seems like a perfect fit.

       I know I have much to learn and experience in these next couple years before college, experiences that will help to define my future path, and in that time I will make every effort to become as focused and dedicated as I can be, both on and off the court.