Hannah Huguley’s mother enjoys recalling her favorite story from her daughter’s volleyball career.
Huguley was in the sixth grade when she approached her mother after walking off the court.
“Mom?” Huguley asked. “Do you know what it feels like to just feel like you belong doing something?”
“Well of course,” her mother said.
“That’s how I feel when I’m on the court,” Huguley said.
Huguley is a junior family studies major from the small town of Clay, Alabama. Huguley always loved her life on the court, but her college plan did not always include volleyball.
“I never wanted to play volleyball in college until my senior year of high school,” Huguley said. “I had every intention of attending Auburn University just like my siblings did. Senior year I decided I wasn’t ready for volleyball to be done, and then I heard that Union was looking for a setter. Now, here I am.”
Huguley’s favorite part of Union volleyball is being a member of a team that feels like best friends and a family. Huguley said even though they bicker and get frustrated at times, at the end of the day, the girls realize what it means to be a team.
One important lesson that Huguley has learned from her volleyball career is the importance of putting forth her best effort at all times.
“It’s not necessarily about the results, but it’s about the process,” Huguley said. “If you give your best in a job or relationship or whatever it is and it just doesn’t work out, you can leave knowing that you gave it everything you had to give. But if there’s ever a time you feel like you didn’t give your all, that’s the worst feeling in the world because you know you could have done something more.”
When Huguley is not on the court or studying, she loves spending time outdoors, playing ultimate frisbee and curling up on the couch to eat popcorn and watch Netflix.
After Huguley’s undergraduate career at Union, she aspires to attend graduate school. Huguley’s dreams include opening her own marriage and family counseling practice so that she can counsel people from a biblical perspective.
Ivan Isaacs
Ivan Isaacs, sophomore conservation biology major, never expected his passion for running cross-country to lead him all the way to Union from his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska.
Isaacs said he misses the mountains and all the nature from Alaska but is happy to get a break from the harsh cold weather.
Coach Davis, Isaacs’ coach from Grace Christian high school, told Isaacs about Union University, and he immediately considered the option because of the opportunity to get connected with Union’s cross-country team.
Isaacs did not begin running cross-country until the seventh grade; he believed that basketball was his calling. Isaacs’ father played basketball professionally in Ireland for several years.
“I never believed I would be a good runner because my dad was a six foot, eight inches tall basketball player,” Isaacs said.
Isaacs won several cross-country awards during his high school career that encouraged him to pursue his dream of running collegiately, and he has no regrets.
Isaacs enjoys being a member of Union’s cross-country team because he has been able to learn from his experiences.
“I’ve learned so much about perseverance,” Isaacs said. “Running cross country teaches patience and hard work.”
Isaacs said as a cross-country runner, he had to learn to run fast and learn to do it for himself because the goal is to finish successfully individually so that your team can grow successfully.
Outside of cross-country, Isaacs loves spending time outdoors. Isaacs specifically enjoys fishing, hiking and playing badminton.
After graduating Union, Isaacs plans to move back to his mountainous, Alaskan home to pursue his dream job of researching conservation biology for the state government.
