Sophomore Alexa Madsen has only been playing volleyball since July and has already managed to make the varsity volleyball team. Having spent almost all her time being on the basketball court Madsen has had to overcome the challenge of learning a whole new sport with a team of girls who have been playing since they were eight years old.

Madsen states, “Though joining the volleyball team was very scary at first, it has made me a better person on and off the court because I am surrounded by such an amazing group of girls.”

Madesen at first only joined the team because she had many friends on the team, but as she played more and more her love for the game started to grow.

“When I found out I made varsity I was so happy and excited that I would get to play with my friends,” Madsen states.

Compared to her previous experience in basketball there were so many differences in the volleyball world. Madsen was first shocked with how important a strong connection team chemistry really was in volleyball. Madsen’s favorite part about being a part of the volleyball program was all of the team bonding and learning how these bonding activities shaped the performance the team would have during a game.

Madsen says, “Volleyball has changed the way I view teamwork, because it made me realize that in order to be successful everyone needs to work together. And I was actually very surprised at the amount of team bonding activities there are compared to basketball.”

This season Madesn had to overcome the challenge of attending two practices a day. After thirty minutes of jump training and a two hour volleyball practice she then would have to go to basketball practice. This was hard on her body, but that never stopped her from giving her all. 

Joining a new sport is scary, but Madsen is thankful for all the girls in the program who welcomed her and made her feel like it’s  okay to make mistakes. Playing two sports at once, plus being a student, is not easy, but Madsen does it with such ease, and recommends others to do multiple sports because it will make them a completely different athlete. Through this experience Madsen had to learn discipline and perseverance in order to balance her crazy busy schedule.

¨Being a multi-sport athlete has not just made me a better athlete, but has also given me completely new perspectives on the games I play,¨ Madsen says.