Alexis Wolf was already a leader in her first semester by the time Tim Hill became her coach.
Alexis Wolf was a leader by necessity for the Quincy High School volleyball team. During summer team workouts before her senior year, the team was still waiting for its third coach in four years to arrive. When new coach Tim Hill finally did arrive, Wolf had already established herself as a leader.
“Before I got there, [Wolf] was deciding what the team was going to do and when they were going to do it,” Hill said.
From that point on, Hill had weekly meetings with Wolf ensuring his message was being received by the team and that it was working.
“It was a combination of making sure [Hill] knew how we played at Quincy and learning his style of play,” Wolf said.
Wolf will continue her academic and volleyball career at Webster University. She described Webster as being the perfect distance from home; not too close and not too far.
Webster’s head volleyball coach Merry Graf heard about Wolf for the first time from current Webster volleyball player Ali Spohr. Spohr was two years ahead of Wolf at Quincy High School and thought Wolf would make a good addition to the Webster team.
“I knew she’d fit right in with the culture here,” Spohr said. “She’s a great fundamental player that works hard.”
the net during a scrimmage at practice. Photo by Charlotte Renner.
Her hard work and competitive attitude were the first impressions Wolf made on Graf in the initial practices.
“Even if it’s just a warmup drill if there’s a way [Wolf] can compete, it’s game on,” Graf said.
Both Graf and Hill described Wolf as a dynamic attacker. Hill said her biggest strength is being able to pick out weaknesses in opposing defenses. Wolf is 6-foot-tall and left-handed, which Graf said makes her a weapon as a right-side hitter.
“Having a tall, left-handed hitter is nice for a coach because they can be pretty commanding on the right side of the court,” Graf said. “She also has a nice variety of shots that hitters need to be successful at the college level.”
In 2019, Webster only had one player 5-foot-11 or taller appear in more than five matches. Wolf, along with senior Hayley Taylor who is returning from injury, and other underclassmen, will help to add height to the Webster team.
Wolf reminds Graf of another 6-foot lefty who played for Webster, Megan Floarke, who now is an assistant coach at Webster. Floarke played from 2005-07 and finished her career top-ten in both kills and block assists.
“[Wolf] may even be a little stronger than [Floarke] was,” Graf said. “[Wolf] reminds me of [Floarke] where, those balls right above the net that could be anybody’s, [Wolf] takes control and says, ‘That’s my ball.’”
Graf said Wolf has been very impressive in early practices and is on track to contribute for the team very early on.
Wolf played three years of varsity volleyball in high school. She won the conference championship in her junior year and was First Team All-Conference in her senior year.
Wolf hopes to be a contributor to Webster volleyball, not just as an attacker, but also as a leader. Graf has seen freshmen take on leadership roles in the past.
“For some, as soon as they get on the court in those competitive situations, they just blossom into a leader,” Graf said. “I definitely see [Wolf] having the potential to be that type of player.”
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