Meet Marion volleyball player Madeline Moll
MARION, Ill. — Madeline Moll is young as far as high school athletes go. She is a sophomore at Marion High School, just 16 years old. However, her impact is felt by her teammates and her opponents on the volleyball court.
“I love everything about volleyball,” said Moll. “I love my coaches, my teammates, traveling, the memories, winning, losing, hard practices, getting up early, stressing about how I play and so much more. Volleyball is my obsession. I love it no matter what, even when it gets hard.”
Volleyball must not be terribly hard. As a sophomore, she has been a starter on the Marion High School varsity volleyball team, helping the Lady Wildcats reach the IHSA regional semifinal before losing to eventual sectional finalist Waterloo.
However, she can credit her success on the court to her hard work.
“The best advice I have ever received is from my mother,” Madeline says. “She taught me that at the end of the day, only hard work and perseverance will pay off.”
She said when she wasn’t getting the playing time she wanted, especially on one of her club teams, her mom told her to work even harder.
“My mom said ‘You have to work hard on and off the court to earn a place so that a coach couldn’t imagine not having you on the court.’ That has really stuck with me, and I’ve really started to see some of the benefits of putting in the work.”
Moll says she sometimes feels like she is behind on her skills or not doing enough to push herself. She manages those feelings by working harder, reminding herself of what she has accomplished, and soaking up coaching like a sponge.
“I’ve been blessed to work with some amazing coaches over the last few years,” Moll says. “I have learned much from all of them. Coach [Montana] Schaefer keeps me fired up in every game, and I am always looking to her on the sidelines to tweak my hitting and blocking. Coach M (Brandy Mieldezis) is always helping me with my timing and my court IQ.”
Part of her growth in volleyball comes from learning how to be a good teammate.
“Being a member of a team has taught me social skills and the ability to work with other people,” Moll said. “It has also shown me that sometimes I need to put others before myself.I have really worked hard over the last year to make sure I am an ‘energy giver’ to the team.”
Off the court, when not playing volleyball, Moll says she loves traveling and going on vacations.
“I love going on beach trips, and especially love snow skiing. I also like working out and hanging with my friends.”
Moll doesn’t have a specific pre-match ritual. She says she enjoys having a light meal and a little coffee before a match, and she always has a talk with herself to get herself in the right mindset.
A big part of that right mindset is listening to her mother.
“She knows how to keep me grounded through all the ups and downs and supports me when I’m trying to take my training to the next level,” Madeline said. “She makes me slow down, take a day and take care of myself, so I can be my best on the court.”
Apparently, that best is good enough, she hopes to continue volleyball beyond high school.
“My personal goal is to play college volleyball on a scholarship.”
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
