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Haley Jordann Eckerman (born November 10 1992) is an American professional volleyball player and high school coach. She is widely known for her successful career playing for the University of Texas at Austin, one of the top collegiate volleyball programs in the country. She won numerous awards and broke many records during her time there. She was also one of the most impactful players for the team when they won the National Title in 2012.(seattletimes) What makes her story particularly inspiring is the fact that she simultaneously raised her toddler son while upholding her status as one of the best players in the country. In the years following, she has been playing professionally overseas in Europe and Asia, and most recently, she returned to her home state of Iowa and completed her first season as a high school women’s volleyball coach. Eckerman began demonstrating her superior skill in high school and she was more than accustomed to winning awards by the time she entered college. Some of the more significant honors she earned during her high school years include: 2010 ESPN All-American, 3x Prep Volleyball All American (2008, 2009, 2010),4x All-State Team, and 3x Iowa 4A Player of the Year, and led the state of Iowa in kills three years in a row.(grvx) She also played on the United States Girls Youth National Team as well as the Junior Women’s National Team. By her junior year, she was ranked the number 5 volleyball recruit in the U.S. with interest from most of the top programs in the nation.(ESPN) However, life became a bit complicated for Haley when she learned that she was pregnant during her junior year. After struggling with some rib and back pain earlier in the year, Eckerman made a visit to the doctor after the pain had become increasingly worse. It was then that she was told that she was 27 weeks pregnant. After informing the coaching staff at Texas of her situation, Coach Jerritt Elliott told her that her scholarship would still be honored. With the support of her friends, family, and her volleyball community, she gave birth to her son, Cayden, in May of 2010. She worked quickly to return to play for her senior high school season and prepare for her collegiate debut the following year. Haley’s mother and grandparents volunteered to move from Iowa to Texas to assist her with raising Cayden while she was training and traveling with the volleyball team. Eckerman’s family and coaches enabled her to excel and prove that raising a young child while being an accomplished volleyball player was possible; that motherhood is not an inhibition, but a power. During Haley’s first year at Texas, she became an essential component for the team, both offensively and defensively. As an outside hitter, she played all 6 rotations and started every game. She was a consistent player who could be relied on by her teammates to end many rallies in their favor. The most important rally they won that year was the one to win them the 2012 Division 1 National Championship, Texas’ first time winning this title in 20 years. Seattle Individually, Eckerman earned ESPN National Freshman of the Year, AVCA and Volleyball Magazine Freshman of the Year (making her the second player in Texas program history to do so), and earned Big 12 First Team honors.(grvx) She returned her sophomore year with the honor of being named to the 2012 Big 12 Preseason Team. She maintained the same important role on the team the following three years of play and quickly became known as one of the best collegiate players in the country, earning the respect of many of the other players and coaches that she with and against. She earned ESPN Player of the Year (2012), 3x Big 12 Player of the Year in (2012, 2013, 2014), 2x AVCA First Team All American (2012, 2013), Big 12 First Team (2011, 2013, 2014), espn and Volleyball Magazine Player of the Year.(texassports) She also became the ninth player in Texas volleyball history to score 500 kills in one season.(ESPN) After her senior year, Eckerman made a living by playing professionally overseas for Elite Volleyball Club.(teamusa) She played in a variety of countries including Russia, South Korea, Italy, Puerto Rico, and Azerbaijan. She continued her professional career until 2018 when she returned to the states to walk in the May graduation ceremony, though she had already received her diploma in the summer of 2017, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Learning and Development.She then headed to her home state where she took on a high school head coaching position in the town of Waterloo, Iowa. She currently still resides there and has completed her first season as a high school volleyball coach.(demoinesregister)

Haley Jordann Eckerman (born November 10 1992) is an American professional volleyball player and high school coach. She is widely known for her successful career playing for the University of Texas at Austin, one of the top collegiate volleyball programs in the country. She won numerous awards and broke many records during her time there. She was also one of the most impactful players for the team when they won the National Title in 2012.(seattletimes) What makes her story particularly inspiring is the fact that she simultaneously raised her toddler son while upholding her status as one of the best players in the country. In the years following, she has been playing professionally overseas in Europe and Asia, and most recently, she returned to her home state of Iowa and completed her first season as a high school women’s volleyball coach. Eckerman began demonstrating her superior skill in high school and she was more than accustomed to winning awards by the time she entered college. Some of the more significant honors she earned during her high school years include: 2010 ESPN All-American, 3x Prep Volleyball All American (2008, 2009, 2010),4x All-State Team, and 3x Iowa 4A Player of the Year, and led the state of Iowa in kills three years in a row.(grvx) She also played on the United States Girls Youth National Team as well as the Junior Women’s National Team. By her junior year, she was ranked the number 5 volleyball recruit in the U.S. with interest from most of the top programs in the nation.(ESPN) However, life became a bit complicated for Haley when she learned that she was pregnant during her junior year. After struggling with some rib and back pain earlier in the year, Eckerman made a visit to the doctor after the pain had become increasingly worse. It was then that she was told that she was 27 weeks pregnant. After informing the coaching staff at Texas of her situation, Coach Jerritt Elliott told her that her scholarship would still be honored. With the support of her friends, family, and her volleyball community, she gave birth to her son, Cayden, in May of 2010. She worked quickly to return to play for her senior high school season and prepare for her collegiate debut the following year. Haley’s mother and grandparents volunteered to move from Iowa to Texas to assist her with raising Cayden while she was training and traveling with the volleyball team. Eckerman’s family and coaches enabled her to excel and prove that raising a young child while being an accomplished volleyball player was possible; that motherhood is not an inhibition, but a power. During Haley’s first year at Texas, she became an essential component for the team, both offensively and defensively. As an outside hitter, she played all 6 rotations and started every game. She was a consistent player who could be relied on by her teammates to end many rallies in their favor. The most important rally they won that year was the one to win them the 2012 Division 1 National Championship, Texas’ first time winning this title in 20 years. Seattle Individually, Eckerman earned ESPN National Freshman of the Year, AVCA and Volleyball Magazine Freshman of the Year (making her the second player in Texas program history to do so), and earned Big 12 First Team honors.(grvx) She returned her sophomore year with the honor of being named to the 2012 Big 12 Preseason Team. She maintained the same important role on the team the following three years of play and quickly became known as one of the best collegiate players in the country, earning the respect of many of the other players and coaches that she with and against. She earned ESPN Player of the Year (2012), 3x Big 12 Player of the Year in (2012, 2013, 2014), 2x AVCA First Team All American (2012, 2013), Big 12 First Team (2011, 2013, 2014), espn and Volleyball Magazine Player of the Year.(texassports) She also became the ninth player in Texas volleyball history to score 500 kills in one season.(ESPN) After her senior year, Eckerman made a living by playing professionally overseas for Elite Volleyball Club.(teamusa) She played in a variety of countries including Russia, South Korea, Italy, Puerto Rico, and Azerbaijan. She continued her professional career until 2018 when she returned to the states to walk in the May graduation ceremony, though she had already received her diploma in the summer of 2017, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Learning and Development.She then headed to her home state where she took on a high school head coaching position in the town of Waterloo, Iowa. She currently still resides there and has completed her first season as a high school volleyball coach.(demoinesregister)