This morning, Volleyblog
Seattle spoke by phone to University
of Washington recruit Melanie Wade,
who officially enrolled for the fall quarter this week. The 6’5 hitter is a
senior at Palo Alto High School, in the shadow of Stanford University. Here are edited excerpts from our
conversation:
What other
sports did you play besides volleyball?
I played soccer. And I was absolutely horrible. I was so
tall and uncoordinated at that time. But then, in sixth grade, my mom signed me
up for the volleyball team. And I absolutely fell in love with it. And I’ve
been playing ever since.
Why volleyball?
It was something I was good at. You know, it is the complete
team sport, everyone relies on each other. And there’s a lot of scoring in
volleyball. In soccer, you make, like, one or two goals a game. But in volleyball,
there’s opportunities for constantly scoring.
 |
| Melanie Wade, at 2011 Junior Nationals in Atlanta |
You’re 6’5.
What do people not understand about being tall?
People always tell me I’m tall, which is pretty obvious. They’ll
say, “Wow, you’re so tall!” and “How tall are you?” And then, I’ll tell them
how tall I am, knowing, well, thanks for reminding me, thank you. (chuckles) Growing
up, everyone expected me to play basketball. But, I tried it when I was
younger. I just didn’t like it as much as soccer, even. But, I enjoy being
tall.
You have one
brother?
Yes, I have a twin brother, Thomas.
Does Thomas
play sports, too?
No, he sings. We’re complete opposites. He’s going to major
in music at San Francisco Conservatory.
Are you a good
singer?
Oh, god, no. I’m horrible. I am the worst singer you’ll ever
hear.
What drew you
to the University Washington?
I went up and visited, and I absolutely loved it. The
coaches were just amazing. And they were so knowledgeable about volleyball. Obviously,
Seattle is a great place to be. And the team was super nice.
Aren’t athletes
at other schools nice?
Other schools are definitely nice. But I felt especially
welcomed when I was visiting up there. Like, all the team members would come up
and talk to me. Whereas, on some of the other visits I went on, it was—I don’t
know, it was harder to talk with some of the girls because they wouldn’t come
up to you and say hi. But at Washington, everyone on the team introduced
themselves and asked me how I was. It was nice to have that; they made me feel
more comfortable.
You grew up in
Palo Alto. Were you a Stanford volleyball fan?
Yes I was. I was definitely a Stanford fan. Going to the
games, I idolized all of those players.
Are you looking
forward to playing against Stanford in college?
Yes, I am. It will be very weird to be actually on the same
court that I’ve been watching all these players playing all these years. I’m
looking forward to it.
You played on a
Palo Alto High School team that won two consecutive state titles. I hear that
each of the championship matches were cliffhangers.
In both years, we were behind in the fifth set. And we just
kept fighting back, and we won both sets.
What position
would you like to play at Washington?
I’ve played middle, outside and right side in high school
and club. Honestly, it just comes down to where I fit in best in Jim’s (UW
coach Jim McLaughlin’s) system.
How’s your passing?
I’m always in the gym trying to get as many reps as I can,
because it’s one of the most fundamental and important skills in volleyball
Fellow 2012
freshman Lianna Sybeldon says she stayed with you and your family when Washington played in the Bay Area last season.
We dressed up in, like, crazy outfits. Lianna had gold
leggings on. (laughs.) It was really funny.
Any idea what
you’ll study at Washington?
I like History; it’s very interesting to me.
The mountains
or the coast?
Hard to say. I’m not a hot weather person, that’s for sure.
It was, like, 85 here the other day, and I was dying. I like the coast, but—I have
to say—I like the mountains, too.
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