Alexis Stucky ready to grow with Gators after ‘special’ senior year
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (BVM) — When thinking about where the top volleyball players in the United States come from, Wyoming probably wouldn’t be at the forefront of anyone’s mind. But one of the country’s best players in the Class of 2022 just so happens to hail from the Cowboy State, and her talents have already been on display beyond U.S. borders.
The past year has been a banner one for Laramie High School grad Alexis Stucky. The Florida Gators recruit who can do it all on the volleyball court was honored last week with her second straight Gatorade Wyoming Volleyball Player of the Year award after leading the Laramie Lady Plainsmen to back-to-back Class 4A state titles. A starter since her freshman year, Stucky finished her prep career with 1,378 kills, 1,004 digs, 201 blocks, and 157 aces and will leave behind an impressive legacy at Laramie where she was instrumental in lifting a program to heights it hadn’t reached in more than two and a half decades. The Lady Plainsmen’s 2020 state championship run ended a 26-year title drought.
“It’s really special,” Stucky said of her senior year with the Lady Plainsmen. “I feel so honored. And to see that my hard work has paid off, it’s just so awesome and I feel really good being able to represent Laramie like that.”
As impressive as her accomplishments with Laramie are, Stucky was given the opportunity to represent something much bigger than her high school last September. The 6-foot-2 setter was one of only 12 athletes selected to represent the USA at the FIVB U18 World Championships held in Durango, Mexico.
“It was amazing,” Stucky said. “It really didn’t feel real until I put the USA jersey on. It was so cool. There’s no bigger honor.”
Stucky helped the team win a bronze medal with a 7-1 record and she gained an unforgettable experience with a group of highly-skilled teammates who turned into friends in the process.
“It was incredible,” Stucky said. “My teammates were awesome. Everybody was so unapologetically themselves. It was so fun to be a part of because it was so competitive all the time and when you’re around athletes of that caliber all the time it’s impossible not to get better.”
Stucky made the most of another chance to put her talent on display against high-level competition in December when she was one of 24 athletes selected to take part in the Under Armour All-America Volleyball Game. One of four team captains, Stucky earned MVP honors for the match after recording 25 assists, seven kills, and two aces for Team Legends.
Congrats to UA All America Volleyball game MVP, Alexis Stucky! She put on a show!
🏐7 Kills
🏐25 Assists
🏐2 Aces #UANext #uanextvolleyball pic.twitter.com/HjC63zVynW— AllAmericaVB (@uanextvball) January 2, 2022
Playing with and against elite competitors will only benefit Stucky going forward with the Gators. She graduated Laramie early and is already enrolled at Florida, giving her a jump start on the Division I college student-athlete experience. Stucky will also have the chance to experience more team success with the Gators, who have made 31 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, the third-longest active streak in the nation. And if she continues to grow as a player in college, she might have another opportunity to play on the international stage with Team USA in the future.
“I would love to get the opportunity to do something like that again,” Stucky said. “We’ll see how my college career goes and hopefully I can stay in the USA pipeline.”
