From the neighboring state of Louisiana, junior middle blocker Madison Daigle has set new goals set for herself as she continues her volleyball career at Texas State.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Daigle began her athletic career at a young age. Although she tried out many sports, volleyball was the only one that she stuck with.
“As a kid I grew up playing and trying out many different sports, and eventually I would get sick of them or not be very good,” Daigle said.
Daigle began her volleyball career at the age of 6, and joined a volleyball club team at the age of 9. Eventually, she began to fall in love with the sport.
“I decided to play volleyball honestly because all my friends were doing it,” Daigle said. “I began to go to camps and joined a club team and I realized that even though I wasn’t the best at it then, I still loved the game.”
Daigle decided to make Texas State her home after a seven-hour trip and meeting a lot of friendly faces. The middle blocker knew she wanted to attend school out of state, but was not sure where. Her choice was made final after meeting the coaches and players, but she also fell in love with the town.
“I choose Texas State because I knew it was the place for me,” Daigle said. “On my visit I knew it was the one. I loved the campus, coaches, players and the town and area in general.”
There were some changes in the food and a different language Daigle had to learn after the move. However, the team does give her a hard time about certain words she uses.
“The food is different with there not being as much Cajun food around here,” Daigle said. “The only things that really sticks out to me is that in Louisiana we say book sack and over here it is backpack. I always get hate from my teammates for that one.”
Daigle is expecting a lot out of her teamamtes this season. She is one of four upperclassmen, but is not letting that worry her. She trusts her team and tries to get them to understand that their hard work will pay off.
“Age does not matter on our team and everyone knows that,” Daigle said. “I have a lot of trust in this group of girls, and I know we can go far with a lot of hard work. We have the capability to achieve many things this season.”
On a more personal level, Daigle plans to step up for her team as a leader. She knows that the underclassmen are looking up to her and wants to be good role model for them.
“Something different that I am going to do this season is become more of a leader,” Daigle said. “Being an upperclassman I know I am looked upon and want to always give my best to everyone on the team.”