Photo Courtesy of AUM Athletics
Maya Thompson on transitioning to AUM Volleyball
By: Makenzie Martin
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A transfer to Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) from Alabama State University (ASU), Maya Thompson is a six-foot middle blocker from Chicago who carefully dissected her move this year to the Warhawks volleyball team.
For Thompson, several factors contributed to her transferring to AUM, mainly Flavia Siqueira, her volleyball coach. Siqueira coached the 2022 volleyball team to their fourth consecutive attendance in the Gulf South Conference (GSC), according to Siqueira’s biography on the AUM Athletics volleyball website.
“We actually played AUM last year. When the AUM coach reached out, I kind of knew it was maybe a sign that this could be another place for me to go just because I knew how [Siqueria’s] program was,” said Thompson. She said she liked the school overall academically.
In August, Thompson, a communication major, recalls the transition being a little difficult due to a variety of different cultures coming together to play on one volleyball team. “Having all of us together with other new transfers was a little hard but we did a lot of team-building activities, so it is fine now. We are doing good as a team,” said Thompson.
I asked Thompson what she thought the best part of the AUM volleyball team was despite the early onset challenges. She smiled as she described her teammates being a top motivator for the team overall. “They are a great group of people to play with every day and go to practice with. We have played some great games already and I can just tell it is going to be a great season for us,” she added.
Despite AUM Volleyball being scheduled to play teams ranging from Nebraska to New England, Thompson is looking forward to the last home game against the University of West Florida (UFW) in November. “UFW won the GSC conference last year, so they are a really good team. To have them as our last home game is going to be a really fun game,” said Thompson. UFW has tallied 552 kills for the 2023 season and AUM has totaled 542 kills resulting in a predicted close game, according to UFW’s and AUM’s volleyball website statistics.
Thompson tallied “eleven total kills this season,” reported from the AUM Athletics website. She said she is feeling confident going into the rest of the season of tournaments.
“We are already off to a good start and are playing way better than we did last pre-season. We are already breaking records that we had never done before,” said Thompson confidently.
Thompson is a junior at AUM but she’s already preparing for her final season on the Warhawks team. After being asked what she is looking forward to the most for the 2024 volleyball season Thompson carefully replied, “I’m just really looking forward to having a good rest of my college career and going out with a bang my senior season.”
Thompson’s experience with transferring universities has taught her to do her research before committing to a new university, especially regarding the academic programs.
“They [transfer students] don’t want to have to retake classes over again if they don’t have to. Also, look into the culture of the school and the location,” said Thompson.
For athletes looking to transfer schools, that requires extra research into university programs, team history and coach information, a topic Thompson knows all too well. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) offers a transfer portal for student-athletes looking to transfer from one team to another according to division level. NPR’s Jason Fuller reported that a transfer portal offer creates an easier process to switch from one team to another. Over 20,000 Division I athletes have used this portal between 2021 and 2022. Fuller said the NCAA’s transfer portal policy has transformed the landscape for student-athletes who seek greener pastures in college.
“Look at the school as a whole, both academically and athletically, to really make sure that this next place you go to is your home,” said Thompson.
Thompson is planning out the lasting impression she wants to leave on AUM Volleyball after graduation. “As a junior, I want to continue to make a mark on AUM Volleyball. Anywhere you want to go you want to leave the place better than when you came in, especially for the freshman and sophomores we have on the team,” said Thompson.
Volleyball fans can watch Thompson and her teammates by streaming the AUM tournaments on FloVolleyball as the Warhawks continue their competitive season.