FALL RIVER: Since she began playing sports when she was a no more than knee high to a grasshopper, Molly White knew whatever sport she played she wanted to be able to continue that into her post-secondary academic career.
She’s going to be able to do just that after recently announcing she has committed to the Waterloo University Warriors volleyball team. The announcement was made on the UW Warriors Instagram page, @wloowvb.
“Ever since I started playing sports, I knew I wanted to continue my athletics into university,” said White, of Fall River. “I never knew with what sport, seeing as baseball didn’t have girls programs in university and I wasn’t as passionate about my other sports as I was with baseball.
“When I discovered volleyball, I knew right away that was the sport I was going to put all my hard work into and hopefully play in university.”
White plays club volleyball with the Fall River Fury. She is also training with Volleyball Nova Scotia and working towards making the 2022 N.S. Volleyball team for Canada Games.
Besides volleyball and baseball, White also played badminton and tennis. All of her sports have been beneficial for her arm swing, which is key when playing volleyball.
The daughter of Jerry White and Arlene MacAskill, and a friend to The Laker News, began playing volleyball with the Jr. Vipers girls program at Georges P. Vanier Junior High in Fall River. White immediately fell in love with it, she said.
“I don’t know if it was the fact that it’s kind of a combination of all the sports I’ve loved before or whether it was just how fast and intense it was, but I clicked with volleyball instantly,” the Lockview High senior said.
White attended a showcase in Markham, Ont. in December and Waterloo was supposed to attend so she filled out information and told them she was interested. However, the school could not attend so they made their choice after reviewing the high school provincial final video she supplied them.
She said there was a local university that was in the mix during the recruitment process, and they did everything right in their checking process to sway her decision. But the desire to go away was the winning factor for Waterloo.
“My desire to go away overshadowed that and I chose that path,” she said.
White said she chose Waterloo because of their outstanding volleyball and their remarkable STEM programs, something she has always been interested in.
There are a few people White wanted to thank – including her family, mom dad and brother Rory; all of her coaches along the way who helped hone her game.
Ironically, Jen Weatherhead was one of White’s first ever volleyball coaches—and she’s her coach now in her last season of club volleyball with the U18 Fall River Fury.
“She has had a huge important part in my whole volleyball journey,” said White.
She is excited and looking forward to the challenge of going away for university.
“It’ll definitely be a huge change, but I think it’ll be different in the best was,” said White, who admits she has always wanted to move away from home for university.
White said moving away will allow her to explore new experiences that come with living away from home.
“I will miss my family and friends, and I think that aspect will be the most difficult part for the first little bit,” said White. “I believe that once I get settled in and meet new people I will be good.”
