Overachieving volleyball player goes above and beyond to be superior to her peers. She has goals and big things planned for herself along the way on her journey through high school.

Freshman Madison Amstutz is a determined person when it comes to sports, working out, and competing against others. During her freshman year, Madi made the volleyball Freshman A team and she got the opportunity to be on both the Junior Varsity and Varsity Track team. Two of her goals for her sophomore year include making the Junior Varsity Volleyball team and to get better at her kills.

“I started playing volleyball when I was nine years old but I didn’t really take it seriously,” Madison said. “I think if I did I’d be so much better at the sport than I am now, but it’s all about progress and success. All that’s left from here is just to have fun and do my best every day.” 

Madi enjoys playing volleyball because it’s the only escape she has from reality. She feels that it’s the only thing in her life that she has control over. According to Madi, her way of coping with her negative emotions is by putting it all into the game so that she’s able to give 150 percent of her effort.

“It’s my escape from everything that I can’t change in my life,” Madi said. “At least I can change the way I play the game. Volleyball has helped me grow as a person. Besides improving my skills, I’ve also learned how to be patient and have good sportsmanship when someone makes a mistake.”

She met lots of new people through sports and over time she developed self-discipline. There were people who encouraged her, pushed her, supported her, and teammates who had her back through and through.

“Keeping my cool with the girls and not getting frustrated with them was definitely one of the most difficult things during the season,” Madi said. “But, the one teammate who pushed me the most was Meriah [Rubalcaba]. She was always so hard on us and wanted us to get better. I really enjoyed the season with Alexya [Gonzalez-Zameza] because she never got mad and she was always making me laugh,” Madi said.

Volleyball means a lot to Madi. She found love and admiration for this sport and plans on playing for the next three years of high school. She strives for greatness and she’s such a driven person. Madi knows what she wants and she has so many amazing opportunities coming her way.

“This sport has opened so many doors for me, it changed my life and I love it. I don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t started playing. I’ve made so many memories already, including meeting my best friend, Alexya, and getting to spend the season with her.”