In the halls, tales of legendary athletes who’ve ascended to greatness at the college level and beyond are admired by all of Clayton High School. But today, we introduce you to a new name, Hannah Taylor, a junior whose journey is starting to unfold in real-time.
Just as Taylor became eligible, the recruiting call came, and it wasn’t just any call – it was the call from Texas Christian University (TCU), a powerhouse in college sports and the program she’d been aspiring to go to for years. This opportunity allowed her to play beach volleyball at the highest collegiate level.
While Taylor’s passion for volleyball began as early as fifth grade, COVID stopped her indoor club practices and games, so she pivoted and started playing beach volleyball. Luckily, Taylor found she enjoyed beach volleyball and was better at it, so she stuck with it.
Taylor works to find opportunities to train; however, she admitted that it’s hard because CHS does not offer a sand volleyball team, instead of convenient everyday practices for sand volleyball daily. She’s worked with a personal trainer for a year and played high school volleyball last season. Additionally, she participates in sand volleyball tournaments almost every weekend.
According to MSHSAA rules, athletes cannot do beach and sand volleyball simultaneously, so Taylor is not playing for the school this fall.
“I’ve had to make some sacrifices, which kind of sucks, but for the overall goal of improving, it’s way better,” Taylor said.
Taylor has attended programs and camps with TCU for years and loves the coaches, their campus, and the program. When TCU’s program called her on June 15, the first day she was eligible to commit to a university, she said she was immediately sure of her response.
While many athletes would wait to hear offers from other schools, Taylor expressed complete confidence in TCU after her positive experiences there. She will join a very strong program that finished as the second overall team in the country last year and made it to the semifinals in the NCAA playoffs.
She will now keep training throughout her junior and senior years before joining one of the nation’s top three beach volleyball teams.
“In the future, I hope they keep going to the NCAA tournament. It’s one of my biggest dreams to win a championship while there,” Taylor said.
Despite the league’s smaller leagues, the NCAA beach volleyball tournament expanded from eight playoff teams to sixteen. She believes it is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country and will only get bigger from here.
Taylor is not entering this experience alone, as she has a close friend who has also committed to TCU and already knows several of the coaches and teammates there.
“It’s comfortable and nice to know someone going into a big college environment,” Taylor said.
Beyond winning an NCAA beach volleyball title, Taylor dreams of reaching the Olympic level and is open to continuing the sport past college if the opportunities arise.
