A group of family, teammates, friends and coaches joined together in the McAuley Center on Tuesday, Dec. 11, to celebrate another member of the Volley Belles for committing to play at the collegiate level. Brooke H. ’19 signed her letter of intent with Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn., becoming the MSM volleyball program’s second senior this year with plans to continue playing the sport in college next fall. Her teammate, Madeline S. ’19, signed with Judson University in Elgin, Ill., in October.
Brooke started playing volleyball in the fourth grade as a member of St. Edward Catholic School’s fifth-grade team. Shortly after that, she joined the Little Rock Juniors volleyball club and has competed on one of its teams for the past seven years. Brooke has also been active in the volleyball program at Mount for four years, playing for the Freshman Mounties her first year at the school and then for the Varsity Belles her remaining three years.
According to Brooke, she’s played volleyball at least three times a week since the fourth grade. However, participation in the sport has been worth the demanding schedule. “Volleyball has given me drive and motivates me to perform at my best at all times,” the MSM libero and defensive specialist said. “It has taught me that giving less than 100 percent in anything I do doesn’t feel good inside.”
That drive and motivation did not go unnoticed by those around her. “Brooke is one of the most dedicated athletes I have coached,” MSM volleyball coach Lane West said. “She works hard on the court as well as off the court, and she is very focused and determined to succeed.”
After years of hard work and training, Brooke is excited to join the Lady Bucs team at CBU next fall. “Competing at the next level has been my goal ever since I started playing,” she said. “I have been looking at options and working on preparing for recruiting since around the seventh grade. I knew it was something I wanted to pursue, and I am so happy I get to play at the Division II level.”
In addition to looking forward to playing with her new teammates and coaches, and getting her first taste of “adulting” away from home, Brooke is eager to begin coursework in a unique and relatively new interdisciplinary degree program at CBU. “I am excited about being one of the first students at CBU to major in cybersecurity and digital forensics,” she said. “My future plan is to get a job with the government in this field.”
Mount St. Mary Academy, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, develops young women with a moral and intellectual foundation rooted in Catholic tradition. Mercy-minded and college-prepared, our students meet the future with wisdom, compassion and integrity.