Before every volleyball match, sophomore middle blocker Adell Murray straightens her hair and pulls it into a tight ponytail. Though she doesn’t consider herself superstitious, she enjoys consistency when stepping onto the court. To her, it’s a necessary prematch tradition before the calm soon gives way to chaos once the ball is served. There isn’t any room for nerves at the net, especially for a blocker like Murray.
“Especially for middle, everything’s reacting,” said Murray. “You can’t really be thinking about too much if you want to stay sharp.”
This focused mindset is the product of a journey that began in third grade, when Murray began playing volleyball for her neighborhood’s recreational club. Thanks to her height, she immediately found herself at the net. As she gained a better understanding of the game, she joined her first competitive volleyball club, the Houston Juniors.
Playing competitively elevated her skills and her confidence, helping her solidify her position as a middle. On top of that, living in a volleyball hotspot meant that she was playing against tough teams during school seasons as well, a factor that pushed her to improve.
However, becoming a Quaker wasn’t as straightforward. After dislocating her kneecap multiple times, she underwent surgery in the middle of her high school career. Luckily, she got cleared to play before the college recruiting season began, but the blip in her progress left her wondering about the next stage of her volleyball career.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Murray said. “I also just didn’t really know I was even at the level to play at an Ivy League [school], just in terms of academics.”
Still, she secured an offer, and the deciding factor for her commitment was the opportunity to advance both her athletics and academics at a high level. In finding her fit with the Red and Blue, she also found a sense of family in her team.
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One connection that has particularly supported her is her friendship with sophomore setter Emery Moore. Though they’d known of each other from competing at the same national tournaments in high school, their paths officially crossed when they committed to Penn within months of each other. After getting to know each other through FaceTime, they soon became fast friends and roommates.
“[Murray] and I just kind of communicate really easily without talking … and that’s kind of how it is at home, too,” Moore said.
This mutual trust is a frequent facet of the fast-paced volleyball matches, where split-second communication between the setter and the middle marks the difference between a missed hit or a kill. Having this solid connection has helped Murray improve her decision-making and execution when it counts. Even with a new coach, Murray’s success from this dynamic has been noticeable.
“Watching film from last season, she had a great year. She got set a lot,” coach Tyler Hagstrom said, “She’s been fantastic to work with this fall in terms of her work ethic and her buy-in.”
Murray’s personal growth in confidence notably mirrors the program’s trajectory. Last season, Penn stood out as a team with a significant number of underclassmen as starting players. Despite having less collective experience, the team came within a handful of points of punching its ticket to the Ivy League tournament.
Having played in all 88 sets last season, Murray is ready to take the experience she’s gained to step up her game even more on the court. She’s learned to let go of lost points to instead concentrate on resetting for the next play.
“I just feel stronger and ready,” said Murray, “I think that, for me, I want to be able to be unpredictable and just kind of have fun with it.”
As Murray ties her hair into another slick-back ponytail for this season, she’s leaving behind the nerves and stepping on the court with the confidence that she and her team can finish the job.
“One thing [that] people should know is that we’re out for blood, [but] we’re also a family and that we love each other a lot,” Murray said.
