There was a long article in the Dallas Morning News this week that included her explanation of why she chose to not play for her high school her senior year. The article was about players in several sports choosing to play club instead of high school. A lot of the article was about volleyball. The Southlake Carroll coach had 3 college commits that didn’t play this year. O’Neal and two beach volleyball players. He was speaking on this subject at a coaching convention. A lot of coaches are concerned about this trend. O’Neal said that volleyball is a 12 month a year sport and she wanted to rest, train and prepare for her college career. Those are not her exact words but my summary of what she said. There was nothing to indicate how she was accomplishing that. I hate that trend but really can’t argue with players who make that decision. She will be a difference maker if you believe the accolades. She will be in the mix for the vacated middle blocker position next year.......with some other talented middle blockers.
Very big problem not just for volleyball. Unfortunately being done for money for the club sport organizations instead of what is best for the kids. For example, in men's soccer the rules prohibit any high school participation if the kid wants to be eligible for any of the national teams. Women's soccer is currently moving in that direction.
