Last year was Meg Hall’s first playing organized volleyball. She was a sixth-grader at Eagle’s View Academy. This season, Hall showed the Lady Warriors’ coaching staff she was ready for a step up in competition, even though she barely had a year of experience.
She played in every junior varsity contest this season as a seventh-grader and even pulled double duty at times on the middle school team as well. She learned a lot about the game in a very short period of time.
By the end of the JV season, Hall had impressed the coaching staff even more, including head coach Mike Graham, who also serves as Eagle’s View’s athletic director. They asked her to come up and practice with the varsity squad for the rest of their games. Rather suddenly, Hall went from seventh-grade standout to sharing the floor with seniors. She was allowed to dress with the team and sat on the bench with them during their final game.
It was a surreal experience and a huge boost for Hall. She admits to feeling a little anxious but had the team’s full support throughout. The coaching staff clearly notices her potential; she will have an opportunity to play full-time with the varsity team next season, her third year of organized volleyball.
Hall plays on a club team too, and they made it to regionals in her first year. She devotes much of her weekend to them on top of playing with the various school teams. She has a busy schedule and admits it can be tiring. But she’s always wanted to play, and she always has fun.
When she does have time to relax, she enjoys hanging out with her parents and three older brothers. She likes going to the movie theater and playing board games. Quelf is currently her favorite.
Her mom and dad come to all of her games and are always supportive and encouraging. Her brothers work with her as well, bumping the ball back and forth in the yard.
Hall says Coach Graham is another big reason why she has been able to improve so quickly. They work on her serve: where to put her hand on the ball on jump serves and overhand.
“Coach Graham has helped me with basically everything in my sport. I probably wouldn’t be on JV if it weren’t for him coaching me, because he made me work harder and get better. I’m a pretty good receiver in the back row, but I really want to work on hitting. I’m a main hitter already, but I want to work more on it to be stronger.”
Hall took up basketball this year, too. Again, she had never played on an organized team before, and she excelled with natural talent and athleticism. She likes racing up and down the court and enjoys the physicality absent from volleyball. It may have something to do with the dynamic of having three older brothers.
Hall says she had more fun playing basketball than she thought she would but considers volleyball her primary sport. With the promise she’s displayed over the last two years, it would be outrageous not to play both, or even take up a third sport, for that matter.
North Florida/ Rising Star/ February 2015
Meg Hall
Eagle’s View Academy
Jacksonville, FL
BRANDON IBARRA
Seventh Grader On Track For Varsity Role Next Year
