COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 16, 2018) – Logan Eggleston (Franklin, Tennessee) has already had a long career within USA Volleyball’s High Performance pipeline, including represented the United States on foreign soil wearing the red, white and blue uniform.
For the third summer in a row, Eggleston will don the USA jersey in international competition starting on June 18 as the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team competes in the NORCECA Women’s U20 Continental Championship at Aguascalientes, Mexico.
Eggleston was part of the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team at last year’s FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championship a year after representing Team USA at the NORCECA Girls’ U18 Continental Championship.
Eggleston’s leadership has stood out since the time she began in the High Performance program. She will serve as the team’s captain in Mexico as Team USA will try to qualify for the 2019 FIVB Women’s U20 World Championship.
Eggleston helped lead Alliance 18-1 to the USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championships title in the 18 National Division in her last season playing club volleyball. In the process, she was name most valuable player in the 18 National Division.
Eggleston graduated from Brentwood High School (Brentwood, Tennessee) a whole year early with summa cum laude honors. She has already competed with her University of Texas teammates late this spring as part of a trip to Europe.
Read below more about Eggleston’s time in the USA Volleyball High Performance pipeline, her decision to leave high school a full year early, what she learned on the Longhorn’s trip to Europe and what her future after college may entail.
USA Volleyball: Describe your past experiences with USA Volleyball High Performance.
Eggleston: “I have had such great experiences playing for USA. It is such an honor playing with USA on my back every summer. I have played for so many great coaches and learn so many new techniques that I hadn’t learned before. I have met so many girls that I will be playing against in college, and maybe playing with in college or after. It is really a great experience that has opened my eyes to what is around the country, around the world volleyball-wise, to set what I want to do the rest of my career.”
USA Volleyball: Describe the difference you see in playing High Performance and club volleyball.
Eggleston: “I think in High Performance there is just that extra level of competition and higher skill level. Everyone is here working hard. They come from great clubs, and so they bring all the knowledge they have from their clubs to here and put it all on the floor. The competition is so much higher, and it brings up the level of play of everyone around me and for myself as well. It is a lot higher play, a lot more fun I think because it is so much faster.”
USA Volleyball: What went into your decision to forego your entire senior year of high school, graduate early and begin your University of Texas career 12 months ahead of schedule?
Eggleston: “I thought for me, and my personal volleyball career and my academic career, I was ready to move past high school and get into the college game. Talking with my coaches, my teammates and my college coaches, they told me that they really think I am mature enough and ready for college in general. I am ready for that next step. I am a good learner, and so I can really get into the game and learn from my teammates who are at Texas with me. Just how to play the game, how to get faster. These USA experiences have helped me because it is a lot higher level of volleyball. It showed that I can play at that level. Overall, I felt it was the right decision for me to start my career a little bit earlier.”
USA Volleyball: You have already made one trip with the Texas Longhorns going to Europe. How did that go?
Eggleston: “It was amazing. I am so incredibly happy that I made the decision to go early. Right when I got there, the team was so inclusive and welcoming to me. I am already super close to all the girls, especially the seniors. They really took me under their wings. I just felt so comfortable with the coaching staff and all the girls. It was a great experience. It was really a high level of play, and it was really fun to come in with that new team, play with them instantly and really perform well.”
USA Volleyball: What did you learn from the trip with Texas, coming in from your high school experience to your first college experience?
Eggleston: “It is a lot faster. Everyone is so much more skilled. You have to be kind of ready for everything. You can’t really guess what is happening because everyone at that level is really good. You have to be ready for all circumstances. You have to put 100 percent into it. You can’t take any days off, any points off. I really learned that. With the faster game, you have to be ready to see things faster, react to things faster.”
USA Volleyball: What do you ultimately want to do with your future in volleyball?
Eggleston: “Obviously, I want to play volleyball as long as I can. Play professionally. A big goal of mine is to play in the Olympics. That has always been something I have wanted to do ever since I realized USA Volleyball was this pipeline to the Olympics. That is why I got into it so early. After, I want to stay in the volleyball world, whether coaching or just working with USA Volleyball or anything like that. It is something I really want to do because it is a really big part of my life.”
USA Volleyball: Who do you see as one or two of your role models in the volleyball world while growing up?
Eggleston: “I would have to say recently Jordan Larson because I have gotten to see her play in the Olympics and see all her accomplishments overseas. Now she is the captain of the Women’s National Team, and that is something that I strive for and really want to do. She has always been a big role model in my life. Then there have girls at my club who I have looked up to. They have gone to pretty big schools, and I just like seeing what they have done at my club, and they are doing things that I want to do as well.”