Photo Courtesy by AUM Athletics
By: Keturah Stone
MONTGOMERY, Ala. − Transitioning from high school to college is difficult. For Auburn University at Montgomery freshman volleyball player Taylor Lewis, it’s a dream come true, but with growing pains.
Lewis, who is from Alpharetta, Georgia, spoke with me about her experience playing volleyball in high school for Providence Christian Academy. But she’s been playing volleyball since age 11 when she started competitive travel ball. At her high school, she was awarded 2019 Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for three consecutive years. Lewis impressively holds the single match kills record, single match aces per set record and career ace record at her high school. Now at AUM, she is happily playing a new position as a defensive specialist for the Warhawks.
Lewis told me that deciding to choose AUM was a long recruitment process. “AUM is pretty good, it’s like not too big, and meeting the teammates felt just right,” she said. After committing for the next four years, she decided to major in business. I asked what made her choose that major. She said that her father owns his own business, and she wants to take over the business one day.
A new phase in life can be an adjustment, but Lewis has enjoyed the new experiences of getting to know her teammates who are now like her second family. Her full-time student class load and demanding volleyball practice have been her hardest adjustment. She said, “Eight classes a day in high school practice, and work seemed so easy in high school, but now practice and two classes a day are enough for her.”
Playing volleyball in college has always been Lewis’s dream. But now reality has set in. “The speed of the game is faster, and all my teammates have the same momentum to win and try hard. But she said, “In high school, most teammates start to give up when they realize they are not winning but in college, we play hard until the end even if we are losing, every point counts.”
The women’s volleyball team, according to AUM Athletics, has won 16 games and lost six games. They have fought hard and did not take those losses easily, but just know our Warhawks start with high momentum from start to finish. The program also has a player of the decade which started in 2010 and is called “All Decades Team” as stated in the Volleyball 2010’s All-Decade Team list.
Lewis ended the interview with some nuggets of wisdom for any high school senior going through the recruitment process. She said, “Do not give up on the recruitment process; it can be overwhelming and frustrating, but it can be rewarding in the end.”