Junior volleyball player recruited by top-notch schools

Recently, junior standout volleyball player Katie Hulme has had to get used to playing not only in front of friends and family members but also in front of a tougher audience: college coaches.

At 6 feet tall, Hulme plays middle and outside on the court. Her height, ability to run many offensive plays and powerful hits all contribute to her important role on the court and her potential  to play at the college level.

She has already been recruited by several schools, including Carnegie Mellon and Columbia. She has played volleyball for more than two years, both for the school’s varsity team as well as the Red Rock Volleyball Club in Redwood City.

“The whole recruiting process is stressful because you want to find the right school for you,” Hulme said. “If you find it, you have to make sure the coach wants you just as much as you want them.”

According to Hulme, the process for contacting coaches for  D1 colleges is complicated. Coaches are not allowed to respond to players until Sept. 1 of junior year, with the exception of sending generic emails for invitations to summer camps which can help a recruit’s prospects. Hulme has been contacting the coaches indirectly through her club coach, so she doesn’t “know exactly what they’re thinking all the time.”

On the other hand, the processes for D2 and D3 colleges are much simpler since she can contact those coaches directly.

“My school coaches are not a super big part of the recruiting process, but they definitely helped me refine my skills,” Hulme said. “My club coaches are really the ones helping me communicate with college coaches.”

During club season, Hulme frequently sends emails to schools in an effort to make sure they send recruiters to watch her play during club tournaments. She also includes video highlights of her playing and periodic updates on her transcript.

The recruiting process mostly happens during club season, which typically occurs during the winter, fall or summer since college volleyball occurs at the same time as high school volleyball.

Hulme has received support from her parents through the entire process, but affirmed that she is mostly the one in charge of her recruitment process.

“It’s challenging, but having the chance to hopefully play volleyball in college is definitely going to be worth it,” Hulme said.