Sophomore Bradley volleyball player Hannah Thompson is the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and was named to the Second-Team All-MVC following the 2018 season. This season, with the graduation of outside hitter Erica Haslag and libero Yavianliz Rosado, Thompson has stepped up her game.
Last Febuary, the outside hitter was invited to tryout for USA Volleyball as a libero at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Although she didn’t make a team, Thompson said it was an outstanding experience.
“I don’t know how I got selected [to tryout],” Thompson said. “[It] was a really awesome experience just because I got to play with the players that I admire. To go to a gym and be passing next to one of them is a really cool experience and seeing that level of play was a really cool experience for me. It helped me get better.”
It surely helped as Thompson currently leads the team in kills (3.33 per set) and digs (4.38 per set), while recording four service aces, the third most on head coach Carol Price-Torok’s squad.
Although she is an undersized outside hitter at 5-foot 8-inches tall, Thompson has been able to thrive in her lifelong position at Bradley while also anchoring the defense, her favorite aspect of the game.
“I love defense, so when I’m in the back it gives me a break from jumping and I can solely focus on defending all the other attackers,” Thompson said. “When I go in the front row it’s my opportunity to score points for my team and give them a little taste of their own medicine on the other side.”
Thompson’s mother Yvonne has played a large role in her commitment to improving her volleyball skills. Yvonne played volleyball at Illinois Central College and SIU-Edwardsville.
“My mom has coached [high school] volleyball ever since I was a kid,” Thompson said. “I was sorta born into the gym. I have played volleyball year round my whole life as much as I could and I love it.”
As a sophomore floor captain, Thompson has proved to the coaching staff and teammates that she is committed to the battles a long volleyball season entails.
“It’s a big responsibility that I don’t take lightly,” Thompson said. “There’s a higher expectation that I always have to be on my A-game. I have to be ready to play everyday and work my hardest.”
After a strong freshman season and adjustment to a leadership role in 2019 Thompson looks well on her way to setting many records at Bradley. Right now, however, her focus is being a consistent force for the Braves and helping the volleyball program win the Valley and reach a postseason tournament again.
“We want to further our postseason victories,” Thompson said. “I don’t like talking about individual [goals] but being consistent leader in kills, passing, in digs and contributing as much as I can. I do want to make first team all conference [this season]. I do want to be the Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley [before my career ends].”
After her volleyball career ends, she dreams of becoming an occupational therapist, specifically with kids who have special needs. Her passion for her academic major, health science, and the body as a whole came natural to her. But the Pekin native’s love for children with special needs began after a high school class.
“In high school I did a physical education class with our special needs [students]. I had buddies who we taught how to play tennis or volleyball and helped them understand. I loved that, it was my favorite class ever,” Thompson said.
If Thompson continues to make a name for herself in NCAA volleyball she hopes to play professionally or potentially try out the sand volleyball route, similar to Erica Haslag.
“After college, depending on how my body is, if I have the opportunity to play professionally then I will pursue that,” Thompson said. “Somewhere volleyball will fit into my life because it has been such a big part.”
