Laila Holloway '25 Recruiting Profile

Hello!!! My name is Laila Holloway. I am a part of the class of 2025 at St. Agnes Academy in Houston, Texas, and I am the starter center defender/center on varsity. I also play water polo for my club Houston Hydra. I am upholding a rigorous schedule of AP and college prep classes, also I am involved in a various number of clubs for instance I am the communications liaison for VOBY (Voices of Black Youth) and I am a member of the Model UN and Harvard model congress teams at St. Agnes. I hope to find a school that gives me room to grow as a player and foster great relationships with future teammates.

One thing I would say about myself is that I am very goal oriented, and the biggest goal I set for myself is that I strive to be better than I was the day before both in and out of the pool. One big step in constant improvement related to water polo was that after ODP regional champs I started to keep a journal of all my games. I think by journaling I learned not only to reflect on and learn from my play during the game but also how I interacted with my teammates if I should’ve passed that ball or if I needed to help more on the drops into center. Generally, I think because of my journaling I not only became a better player, but I also became more cognizant about what was going around me in the pool. Also, I strive to be better is flexibility, not just stretching everyday but being more open to everyone’s ideas. I will admit when I was told I couldn’t be a goalie anymore I was heartbroken, but once I accepted my fate, I was all the better for it, although I will say that I was a bit reluctant to leave the goal behind, once I had my first taste of playing center I was hooked. Although I had to learn by getting ejected several times I got better, for each time I learned a new lesson which ultimately led to my team earning 4^th in the platinum division in Dallas and even wonderful friends. Another way I step to reach my goal is communication. By starting my water polo journey by being in goal I learned the hard way that to succeed in this beautiful game you need to be on the same page as the rest of your team. I am no longer a goalie, but the lesson remains that communication is key. Thanks to my background in public speaking, I have no problem in talking loudly, but also, one aspect of equal importance is listening whether it be to help back on a drop or to just wrap on a 6 on 5, listening helps keep team mechanics well-oiled while playing. Overall, I think because of my mindfulness for the game, my flexibility to move outside of my comfort zone and my willingness to listen and communicate makes me an asset to any team environment.