When senior Juliann Mcginnis’ mom put her in volleyball at eight years old, she never knew it would take her this far. From a player on the top team of her club, to a varsity player all four years of high school, to a D1 player committed to Stephen F. Austin State University’s Ladyjacks.

“I started to play volleyball because my mom played in college,” Mcginnis said. “I played other sports like basketball and baseball before I even considered playing volleyball and my mom was always my coach. I didn’t like playing those sports so my mom signed me up for volleyball. I fell in love with it and I’ve been playing ever since.”

Mcginnis was recruited to play middle blocker and outside hitter for SFA. She also received $10,000 in scholarships based on her academic achievements throughout high school.

“I accepted their offer because when I went up for my official visit, I fell in love with the campus,” Mcginnis said. “I always wanted to go to a smaller school than UT and all of those big colleges, so SFA is the perfect fit for me. I also met all of the players and coaches before they offered me a spot and I knew that was where I wanted to play.”

SFA is located in Nacogdoches, TX-often referred to as “the oldest town in Texas”. Its colors are purple and white and their mascot is a lumberjack.

“Nacogdoches is a pretty small town so the community is very supportive of SFA’s athletics,” Mcginnis said. “The gyms are always packed so it will be pretty fun playing in home games.”

Axe Em’ Juliann!