Mueller's dream began six years ago when she joined ST7 Volleyball for her first-ever middle school volleyball clinic. Shy and overwhelmed, Mueller left that first clinic early but rather than quit, this first experience lit a fire inside her. Mueller became a true student of the sport, taking every opportunity to train and learn at ST7. When she wasn't practicing with her club team, you could find her in the gym taking lessons, attending camp, training in beach volleyball, and even assistant coaching younger ST7 athletes.
When asked why Manhattan College, Mueller stated that Manhattan College is a small school and has a pretty campus while still having access to New York City and all it has to offer. She knew for sure that it was the right school for her when she met with the coaching staff for the first time. They were very welcoming and talked to her about specifics about her technique and how they would like to use her on the team, and their long term plans for building their program. The head Coach, Coach Mauro Miletic, played professionally with Coach Sammy in Puerto Rico and that added a huge level of comfort for her. She feels like she will still have a connection to home and ST7.
Mueller plans to major in Kinesiology and minor in business and when she was on her visit they also arranged for her to have a meeting with the head of the Kinesiology department and she felt very comfortable with her as well. The department had a good atmosphere and they seemed very invested in the students and their success. It made her feel very secure that if she ever needed anything that she would have teachers that she could go to.
Mueller looks forward to the challenge of playing at a higher level, creating new friendships with her teammates, and traveling to new places.
The 2022 - 2023 season will be Mueller's last season playing club with ST7 Volleyball but she will forever be part of the ST7 family. As she embarks on her last season playing club with ST7, she offers recruiting advice to younger athletes, "don't be afraid of rejection and don't take it personally. Coaches have specific things that they are looking for. Some of those things are within your control and some are not. If a school says no, you are no worse off but if they say yes, a lot of opportunities open up to you. The first step is to ask. Do not let anyone underestimate you.
We look forward to watching Mueller continue to grow and learn this season. August will be bittersweet, the ST7 family will miss Mueller's constant presence but look forward to becoming her biggest cheerleader as she steps onto the court to compete at that next level.
