Player Spotlight/Coastal Georgia/November 2013
Stephanie Hawley
St. Vincent’s Academy
Savannah, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Senior outside hitter leads the region champion Saints on and off the court.
When Stephanie Hawley was beginning her sophomore year in high school, she decided to make a significant change. She had spent her freshman year at Savannah Christian Preparatory School but returned to St. Vincent’s because she missed her friends there. Going back to St. Vincent’s, however, presented an unforeseen problem that very nearly complicated her sophomore year.Hawley was also a volleyball player who was looking forward to joining her St. Vincent’s teammates on the court when she returned. (When she was at Savannah Christian, she played for a year under this month’s Coach’s Corner, Julie Jones.) Hawley was shocked when she learned that she might have to sit out her sophomore volleyball season. Because of Georgia High School Association rules regarding school transfers, Hawley needed a waiver to be able to play. She had been playing volleyball for more than five years and had set aside several other sports just so she could focus on volleyball. To be unable to play immediately would have been a crushing blow.
The GHSA granted Hawley’s waiver and it couldn’t have come at a better time. She had three goals that year: get the waiver, make the Saints varsity team, and start on varsity. After Hawley got the waiver, she found out that she not only made varsity, but she was also in the starting line-up for the Saints’ first game. “I was so surprised,” she recalls. “I really didn’t expect to start.” That 2011 volleyball season kickstarted a superb career for Hawley that has culminated this year with a second straight region championship and has the girls poised for what will hopefully be a deep run through the state playoffs. This year, the Saints started out slow but peaked at the right time. “We have a competitive team. We do lots of conditioning and we’re in great shape,” she says. Hawley, an All-Area selection last year, is one of the Saints’ leaders, and it’s a role she takes very seriously. She was named team captain for 2013 and she is committed to setting a good example for her peers both on and off the court. Hawley remains focused on her goals, which revolve around being the best student and the best volleyball player she can be. A recognized scholar-athlete, Hawley is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars and an honor student. Her performance on the court has been just as impressive.
As of this point in her career, she had 278 kills, 64 aces, and 248 digs. Then, of course, there are those two consecutive region titles she helped win.“Volleyball is just fun because of the atmosphere and the team aspect. I have played other sports that were more individual but I love being part of a team. I try my best to keep the team positive and to encourage and congratulate everyone,” she says.Volleyball has taught Hawley many lessons. The most important, she says, are time management and the importance of having good people around you. “You have to manage your time to do well academically. I’m always doing my schoolwork on the bus, in between games, or if I have free time during classes,” she says. Regarding her support network, she firmly believes that to be successful, a person must have others around – both for support and so she can encourage them. “You need others who support you and people you can also support. That’s very important.”Another of Hawley’s long-term goals is to play volleyball in college.
Thus far, she has no offers but she is planning to attend a showcase this fall in Atlanta. She will have 
the opportunity to work out in front of college coaches in hopes of landing a spot on a team next year. She would like to stay in the Southeast and pursue a biology or chemistry degree while she plays volleyball. If volleyball isn’t in her future, Hawley will simply shift 100 percent of her focus to academics. That support network she previously mentioned? Her parents are a major component of her network and she depends on their guidance and leadership. And they have given her the best advice possible. “Both my parents are very knowledgeable and they have made me aware that grades are important. My grades are what will determine my future,” she states.
During the spring, Stephanie Hawley is also a member of the St. Vincent’s track team. Last year was her first year on the track. She ran the 100-meter hurdles and, in the process, had to learn an entirely new set of skills to be competitive. There was a steep learning curve for her but she made some significant improvements over the season. Hawley enjoyed track but she may not get to compete this year. “I’ve got to get a job before I go to college. Something has to give and it looks like it’s going to be track,” she laughs.
Favorites:
• Subject: Biology
• Snack: Anything with Nutella on it
• College team: Penn State
• College player: Katie Butler of Converse College
• Pro team: USA beach volleyball team
• Player: Kerri Walsh
• Person to meet: Bethany Hamilton
• Sport you wish you could play: Gymnastics
• Place to travel: Australia
• Superpower: Mind reading
