Cidavia Hall Realizes Her Volleyball Dreams at Alabama
10/5/2018 3:23:00 PM | Volleyball
by RJ Nealon
During the school year, you will find her in Tuscaloosa at the Capstone of higher education. When she isn't hanging out with friends, or going to class, she can be seen around the Crimson Tide's volleyball program. Senior Cidavia Hall is a middle blocker for the Tide, but it's the journey she took to get here that's unique.
Growing up, Hall started out playing in the band and not knowing a thing about the sport. She knew about basketball, but that was it. Most players who play at a high-level start playing club ball when they're young. However, she began during her sophomore year of high school. Hall was a two-sport athlete at Dothan High School – volleyball and basketball – and grew into a reliable player. In 2013, she set a school record for most kills in a season while also leading the state in defensive rebounds and blocks during the 2014 basketball season and was the team MVP after winning an area championship in 2014.
 Hall's fast success in such a short amount of time landed her at Wallace State Community College, where she played two seasons and 82 matches for the Lions. She is grateful to have had the opportunity she did at Wallace State and said that, because she started so late in high school, the experience was necessary.
"I felt like I needed to develop because I was so late in the game and a lot of people start off playing club at a young age, like 10 years old, and I was just so late," Hall said. "I thought I might as well go to one of the best JUCOs and let them develop me, and that's what happened. It was a great experience."
During her time with the Lions, she led the team to consecutive Alabama Community College Conference tournament titles and made two appearances in the national tournament. Added to that, she was named a 2015 NJCAA Second Team All-American, the 2015 ACCC Player of the Year and conference tournament MVP.
For a player who started her career late, she quickly came together as a play-maker and a player that can set the team up for success. Hall then had to make the transition from a two-year school to a major four-year university. She expressed that the two are different and the stage the players are on is a lot bigger.
Dreams come true for people who work hard and dedicate themselves to something they believe in. That's what is great about sports. Athletes achieve goals and accomplish milestones that they would never have thought would happen. For some, it's breaking records and winning national championships. For Hall, it was making her Crimson Tide debut with her family in the stands.
"It was a blessing because I had gone through a lot of mental things, not depression, but just some anguish because I wanted to play so bad and I kept getting injured," Hall said. "I just prayed about it and then when my family was there I always hoped I would finally get to play for them. I finally got my opportunity, and it was just a blessing."
After redshirting her first season at Alabama, Hall made her Crimson Tide debut on September 9 last season against Furman, finishing the match with four kills and a team-leading six blocks. The moment she waited for and prayed for was finally a reality, and she made the moment hers.
Now in her third season with the Crimson Tide, Hall already holds an undergraduate degree in human performance exercise science and is pursuing a graduate degree in sports management. She has started every match so far this year and the senior has already been credited two SEC Defensive Player of the Week awards among others this season.
Hall is an athlete that just a few years ago, never thought about playing volleyball; now she's on her way to leaving a legacy at The University of Alabama and a message to all young girls that dreams do come true.
