Volleyball Newcomer Q&A: Shaye Eggleston
8/24/2021 2:04:00 PM | Volleyball
Outside Hitter – Brentwood, Tenn.
On her start in volleyball
"My sister and I both played basketball when we were younger because my dad was a basketball coach. Eventually I wanted to try other sports and when I started playing volleyball I realized I liked it a lot better. I tried out for my middle school team and it was a lot of fun, so it was just volleyball from then on."
On what made volleyball her favorite sport
"I really like the team aspect of volleyball and how everybody had to play their part. Basketball didn't have as much of that. It made me form connections with my teammates and taught me a lot of lessons both on and off the court. I loved how the sport connected everyone on the team."
On playing in college as a goal
"When I was around 12 years old, my sister was going on college visits so my family would drag me along too. Getting to see schools when she was being recruited and being exposed to the college volleyball world, I decided I wanted that to be my life too. I decided that I was going to work towards that goal."
On the influence of her sister's visits on her own decision process
"Having her as a resource as I was going through my own process was incredible, knowing that she had gone through the same thing, asked the same questions and was looking for a lot of the same things in a school as I was. She mentored me through the process and my parents had already gone through it as well with her and they knew what things to look for in a school. My sister told me I really needed to focus on the coaching staff and that I needed to go to a school I could see myself at even if I wasn't playing volleyball."
On the turning point in the goal becoming reality
"When I got my first letter my eighth grad year, I was on spring break and my parents sent me a photo of it. I remember being so excited realizing what I had been working towards was achievable. My freshman year I started seeing more college coaches at our club tournaments and that's when I realized this was attainable and my goal was coming to fruition."
On what she was looking for in a college
"I wanted to play in the power five and experience that competitiveness. I really liked how competitive the SEC was in every sport. I was looking for a coaching staff I could really connect with and made it personal. Ones that cared about you as an individual and not just a volleyball player. Alabama checked all those boxes for me."
On Alabama coming into the picture
"I knew Lindsey [Devine] and Megan [Ailshie] when they were coaches at ETSU. I always really liked them as a coaching staff, but I knew I wanted to go to a power five school. When I saw they moved to Alabama I knew that it would be a great fit before I even got on campus because of how much I loved them as people and coaches. I got in touch with them and eventually came to visit and right when I got on campus, I knew I could see myself there. I really like how the Alabama athletic department cares about all their sports and treats their athletes really well. The facilities here are awesome and that was just the icing on the cake."
On watching her sister play in the national championship with Texas this spring
"It was really cool to see her do that and I was really proud of her. It showed me what college volleyball is all about and the kind of goals myself and the team want to set. Getting to see it in person and the level of play set an example of what myself and the team want to be like over the next four years."
On arriving early in the spring
"I wanted to get acclimated to it here and start training with the team so I could work on my chemistry with them and just get in the gym and get used to it all. I also wanted to start working with our strength coaches and get stronger. I wanted to have a smooth transition into the fall."
On the adjustment from high school to college
"The weights did help. I've gotten a lot stronger since I've got her in the spring. When you go from high school to college, the speed of everything changes so I feel like I've gotten more used to the speed and style changes in the game."
On balancing school and volleyball
"It has been easier than I thought. I was stressed out about having to balance time between volleyball and school but the resources that we have here made it easier for me. Having one semester under my belt academically has really helped me because I'm not as stressed out going into this semester."
On her value as a teammate
"I'm really encouraging. I hype up my teammates and am always there for them if they're struggling. I'm dependable and people can rely on me for things on and off the court. I have a lot of goals and am very driven and I hope that can help other people reach for their goals as well."
On her personal and team goals for 2021
"I just want to be the best version of myself. Whether I play or not I just want to get better every single day and continue to work on my game. Our biggest team goal is to make the NCAA Tournament. We've been talking about it since day one and I really believe this team can do it. We've been working towards it every single day knowing that each of us have an important role in making that happen."
