Melissa Hillebrand, a junior at UW-Platteville, is an all-star outside hitter from Davenport, Iowa, but her volleyball career hasn’t always been an all-star performance.

Hillebrand started playing volleyball in 7th grade. She progressed into high school, and that is where she encountered her biggest challenge – herself.

“When I first started playing my freshman year of high school, I was not particularly good at all, and I was kind of uncoordinated,” Hillebrand confessed. “But I didn’t let the game get me down. I loved the game so much that I kept on playing.”

In order for Hillebrand to work on her skills and improve, she says she joined club teams and worked out.

Through Hillebrand’s determination, she fell in love with the game.

“A few things that I love are being able to play with the girls on the team and being able to be around them all season long.

“Along with the camaraderie that Hillebrand experiences, she also spoke about her love for the kill.

“Being able to get a really nice straight down kill against the other team tends to bring a lot of momentum toward our team and pumps everyone up,” Hillebrand said.

The kill that Hillebrand speaks of has earned her the record of third-most in UW-P history with 476. She also led the WIAC during the regular season in kills, according to the UW-P Web site.  She has also recently been awarded NCAA Division III all-American honorable mention by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Although volleyball takes up a lot of time, Hillebrand is working on a business degree with an emphasis in finance. She’s not sure where a degree in finance will take her, but she knows that volleyball has given her the right keys for success.

“During the season you learn leadership skills and time management skills that will eventually be used in the work place,” Hillebrand said.