Alabama Volleyball Newcomer Q&A: Hayley McSparin
8/11/2016 4:05:00 PM | Volleyball
Alabama Volleyball welcomes eight newcomers to the 2016 team and all eight will have Q&A features posted on rolltide.com over the next eight days heading into the season. The fourth featured newcomer is freshman Hayley McSparin from Highland, Ill.
When did you start playing volleyball?
"I started playing around middle school. A lot of people always asked if I would try out for the volleyball team so I finally said yes. I was tall in middle school so I played basketball too and back then it was my favorite sport to play since I had only just started playing volleyball and I wasn't as great at it. That changed obviously."
When did playing college volleyball become a goal?
"Probably around my eighth grade year. I started playing club volleyball and tried to keep playing basketball but the schedule was too hard so I just focused on volleyball. The recruiting process started around ninth grade."
When did Alabama come into the picture?
"I first heard from Alabama my sophomore year. When I first visited campus, I thought it was incredible. It's so pretty. Coach [Ed] Allen is very straightforward. He's still the same person now as when I first talked to him. I was mainly looking at other SEC schools but I loved how all of Alabama's athletic programs strived for excellence. Coach Allen has a great vision and is building a great volleyball program."
Being from Illinois, was there any hesitation moving far away from home for college?
"I was looking to get out of the Midwest. The south has a lot better weather and the athletic programs in the SEC are some of the best in the country."
How has the college experience been so far?
"College is very different than high school and I like it a lot. The time management is getting a lot easier. All of my teammates are great and they've really helped me adjust to everything on and off the court. I thought the transition was going to be a lot harder but my teammates have made it a lot easier than I expected."
What are some of your goals for the upcoming season?
"As a team, we want to be consistent. We want to win the SEC and make the NCAA Tournament."
What advice would you give to a young player who wants to play college volleyball?
"Never give up, always work hard and don't feel pressured into picking a certain school."
