Hailey Murray didn’t play volleyball before high school. Instead, she grew up as a ballerina.
The Maryland volleyball middle blocker still performs ballet each year at Terps Got Talent, an annual talent show for student athletes. But as a senior frontline player, she leads the country with a .512 hitting percentage.
Murray attended volleyball camp the summer before 10th grade after losing a bet. She liked it so much she tried out for her high school team and made varsity. When she moved up to club level, she qualified for a travel squad.
Her ascent has aided Maryland’s 12-2 record through nonconference play and two Big Ten games.
“She’s the poster child of someone who came in with a massive challenge to be able to play in this conference and worked hard every single day to do so,” coach Steve Aird said. “What we need her to do is what she’s doing.”
Murray has led Maryland’s efforts at the net with middle blocker Katie Myers out for the year with a knee injury. She paces the Terps with 53 blocks and has posted the third-most kills.
Four years of experience in College Park have helped her see the court better. As a veteran, Murray feels caught up with teammates and opponents who have played volleyball much longer than she has.
“It’s definitely moved a little fast,” Murray said. “I had to learn a lot. I had to learn the game really, really fast — a lot faster than most of my peers.”
Aird stresses to players that if the shot isn’t clear, they should maintain the volley rather than firing away a shot likely to be rejected. Outside hitter Gia Milana sees Murray’s discipline on attack as a major catalyst for Milana’s nation-high hitting percentage.
Plus, Murray is adept at noticing blockers across the net from her, Milana said. Murray’s high jump and hang time helps her decide quickly whether to give her opponents the ball or crank a shot.
“I have the advantage of being able to see where my blockers are and then decide where I want to hit after I see the set,” Murray said. “I take flexibility very seriously because of [ballet], and I think that helps my performance a lot of the times. It’s allowed me to get a lot stronger and to stay healthy.”
Murray’s background with ballet only partially helped adapt to volleyball. Aird said her work ethic has provided an edge, as just being a good athlete doesn’t guarantee success with the sport.
While the Terps had an off-day Monday, Murray participated in a spin class. During the offseason, Murray woke up at 5:30 a.m. for yoga before joining her teammates at the gym.
“I think [Murray has] a lot of athleticism and [is] able to control her body,” Milana said. “Her dancing background really helped her to develop those core muscles and coordination and that helped her get really … good at volleyball.”
