Grace’s Story
I have been around volleyball for as long as I can remember. My oldest sister played, and I always had a volleyball in my hand from then on. I started playing club volleyball in 2nd grade and never stopped! I grew up right here in Lafayette, IN, and grew up cheering on the Boilers every year, and they inspired me to play college volleyball. I was recruited to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL and had an amazing 4 years there. I was granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. As soon as my senior season was over, I entered the transfer portal, and my hometown team picked me up! I was ecstatic, and I know I made my younger self proud with how much work I put in to get me to this point, and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my teammates and coaches at NIU pushing me to be the best I can be. I was 2x MVP at NIU, 4x MAC Setter of the Week, 3x All-Tournament Team + All Tournament MVP, and am now ranked Top 5 in NIU history in assists.
WHY ULTRA ANKLE?
After many years of playing volleyball without injuries, when I was 14, I twisted my ankle on a player who landed on my side of the net. After a couple days of rest, I wore an Ultra Ankle Zoom brace and it allowed me to start back playing sooner than I thought. I was able to play in the tournament the next weekend thanks to the brace. From then on, I started wearing Ultra Ankle Ultra 360 Lace- Up braces all the way through high school and college. Once I arrived at Purdue, I was sized for Ultra Ankle Zoom, and have felt protected by these braces!
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT PLAYING FOR PURDUE?
Purdue has given me an opportunity to prove who I am as an athlete, and took a chance on a hometown kid to add to their team. The opportunity I got was something I couldn’t pass up, being able to be back home, and get an awesome education from Purdue to close out my college career. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have here. Boiler Up!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUNG PLAYERS IN YOUR SPORT?
Never give up! You never know what could happen. I know practices can get long, and games can be tiring, but it is so worth it in the end. You never know when your time is coming, so you always have to be ready to go and provide for your team! If you have a dream, chase it, because a dream won’t chase you back!
