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Following a strong senior season with the Glenwood Springs Demons girls volleyball team, senior Brooke Hunter heads to Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, where she’ll play volleyball for the rebuilding Wildcats’ program.
Hunter never really had plans to play college volleyball, at least until Linfield head coach Josh Davis reached out to her last fall near the end of the Demons’ season and expressed interest in signing the senior defensive specialist/libero.
“I received a letter from Coach Josh inviting me to a clinic in Salt Lake City, so I reached out to him and it just went from there,” said Hunter. “I wasn’t originally planning on playing college volleyball, but once I received interest from coaches, it was an easy decision. It wasn’t really a hectic recruiting process; everything was really smooth. I really enjoyed the process.”
During her senior season under second-year head coach Kehua Rust, Hunter played 44 sets for the Demons, recording 104 serve receives, 75 digs, and 5 aces as Glenwood finished 11-12 on the year, including 6-6 in the tough 4A Western Slope League. Hunter played a role in the revitalization of the Demons’ program after Rust took over. Playing in an uber-competitive program like Glenwood’s helped Hunter prepare for the step up in competition.
“There were so many good players at Glenwood, so the level of competition really prepared me,” said Hunter. “The mantra of ‘no ball hits the floor’ really pushed me to be better; it made me want to be a much more competitive person. Just the overall hard work, too, really pushed me in these last few years. You had to fight for the position you’re going to be in, so that really pushed me to another level and really helped me unlock who I was as a player.”
Now, Hunter heads to McMinnville, where she’ll play under Davis, who is going through a similar rebuilding process with the Wildcats. Having a chance to lay a foundation with a collegiate program is something that really piqued Hunter’s interest in the program, causing her to eventually sign on with a program 1,180 miles away.
Last season, the Wildcats finished 6-18 on the year under Davis and assistant coach Meaghan Angel, including a 1-15 mark in the Northwest Conference. Ironically, Hunter will go up against former Glenwood Springs teammate Baylee Johnson for the next four years after Johnson signed with Pacific Lutheran University in the fall.
“I really liked the atmosphere there,” said Hunter. “I just went to a camp with them, and a lot of the girls that signed with them were there, so it was a great chance to meet them all and get to know then. I really liked the town, and Coach Josh is a new head coach, so he’s trying to leave his mark on the program.
“It’s being rebuilt and I wanted a chance to be part of that rebuild and help establish a culture and grow the game.”
Off the court, Hunter plans on studying law at Linfield, which should put her on a path toward being an attorney later on in life.
“I just really like studying law,” said Hunter. “It’s something that really interests me. Learning the law is fascinating, and we finally got a civics law class at Glenwood this year, and taking that has really unlocked some potential for me. I’m just really excited to get there and get going.”