In volleyball, when you pinpoint a star player, it’s usually the outside hitter. They are the ones that make the big offensive plays with power, resulting in kills and spikes. Those are usually the type of players a college coach will invest the most money in through scholarships.
But Joscelin Morrow, Riverhead’s 5’3″ libero, is a rare breed. She single-handedly won games for the Blue Waves with her ability to defend, fending off kill attempts by the opposing team’s best hitter and keeping plays alive, frustrating opponents in the process. There was rarely a dig that Morrow couldn’t make.
She was Riverhead’s star player.
Morrow was instrumental in getting the Blue Waves into the playoffs last year for the first time since 2010. After they ultimately lost in the playoffs to a Ward Melville team, which finished 11-1 in Division I that year, Ward Melville’s head coach Charlie Fernandez had so much praise for Morrow, calling her the “best libero I’ve seen in years.”
Morrow then entered her senior year, hoping to secure a scholarship to play at a Division I school, no small task for a libero but she believed and that’s all that mattered.
“I went to a bunch of recruiting camps over the summer and sent out all my information to schools I wanted to attend,” Morrow said.
After gauging interest from prospective colleges, she narrowed it down to Georgia Southern University and University of Central Florida. Both Division I schools showed interest in Morrow and both were prepared to offer her money to attend.
“I went into the camp at UCF not being recruited by them but at the conclusion of the three days, the head coach expressed his interest in me,” Morrow said. “After I attended both school’s camps, I waited until my official visit at GSU to make a commitment.”
She visited Georgia Southern Halloween weekend and after staying with the team, and seeing some games, she decided to commit. The academics there was a huge factor in her decision.
“It’s a pretty big school with a lot to offer, which is perfect for someone like me, who doesn’t know what they want to do yet,” Morrow said.
The coaches for Georgia Southern seemed like a right fit for Morrow — citing demeanor and style of coaching as huge selling points.
“After attending their camp in late July, I knew Coach Wood along with Coach Scott were the type of coaches I would love to play for,” Morrow said.
In the official recruitment press release for the Eagles, Coach Wood said she expects Morrow to compete right away: “Joscelin brings a wealth of experience to our back row defense. She will be competing right away to show what she can do for our program. Her attitude, technique and structure are exactly what we are looking for in her serve receive and defense. She has spent time with the USA High Performance Program, which will help her make the adjustment to the speed of the college game.”
The USA High Performance program is something Morrow participated in for the past two years. There she was able to compete at the highest level of competition, get recognized my colleges and work on her craft.
All the work paid off.
She’ll be escaping the cold and suiting up the Eagles this fall.
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