Personal Statement

I am Hope Paczek, and I am a right handed, junior hitter from Morgantown, WV. I describe myself as a hitter because my versatility always me to play all three hitting positions equally as well. Primarily, I am utilized as a middle hitter for both my high school and travel teams, although I have played all three positions in an effort to improve my team’s chances for success.

My future goals include playing volleyball at a quality academic institution that will allow me to obtain a degree in psychology. As I enter my junior year in high school, the major I pursue may change; however my desire to obtain a quality education is a necessary element to my life goals.

As a student-athlete, my primary focus will always be on academics first. At Morgantown High, I am currently in the honors program and will be taking several honors classes again this academic year. I have committed to improving my Grade Point Average this year and I will be taking both the ACT and SAT this fall and winter. My current GPA is lower than I would like; however last fall my mother was killed in a car accident returning home from one of my volleyball games. This life changing event allowed my grades to suffer more than I anticipated but I know my grades will continue to improve over my final two years of high school.

I am a proud member of the Mohigan Volleyball team and we should compete for the 3A State Championship this season. Volleyball has always been the athletic passion in my life. While many other recruits take time off during the year, I am firmly committed to my volleyball career and do not consider myself to have an “off-season”.  I have spent my summer improving my volleyball skills and athleticism in several different ways. Currently, I work out with a trainer four days a week so I can improve my strength, quickness and agility. Two days a week, I work with a private volleyball coach as a means of improving my overall volleyball skills and to learn the finer nuances of the game. In addition to my strength training and individual coaching sessions, I attended both the Nike Elite Camp held at St. Vincent’s College and the individual skills camp at California University of Pennsylvania this summer.

This fall, I will focus my skills and talents on helping Morgantown High School have the most successful season in school history. If I were to identify what separates me from other recruits it would be: my attention to detail, volleyball IQ, my tireless work ethic and leadership skills. At this point in the recruiting process, most girls have great hitting, blocking and passing skills. However, in addition exceling in those three facets of the game, I believe I have the intangible skills that college coaches are looking for in a recruit.

At the completion of my high school season, I will return to Mountain Rage Volleyball club for my third season. This past season, I was a starter on the number five ranked Ohio Valley Region team that lost in the semifinals at the Regional Championships. Over the last two seasons, we accumulated 72 wins while only losing 8 matches. This past season, I had a kill percentage of 34.5% while amassing 274 kills. I lead the teams in total blocks and had a serving percentage of 93.1%. During the past two seasons, I have been asked to play up at a higher age group due to those teams needing a polished, and effective hitter.

When my competitive playing career comes to a close, I hope to become a volleyball coach so that I can pass on all of the skills and knowledge I have learned from my excellent coaches over the years.