Getting to know the seniors: Volleyball’s Amelia Morgan

Senior volleyball player Amelia Morgan is a Flagler College athlete with a story that tells us how exactly she ended up playing in crimson and gold. Morgan’s decision to come to St. Augustine was not her idea, but more her dad’s and the fact that her parents always came here for a special celebration.

“My dad used to come to St. Augustine for my parents anniversary. My dad recommended Flagler College,” she said. “I knew I wanted to go out of state.”

When asked what made her decision to come to Flagler College she answered, “Flagler College was my first camp and I fell in love. Of all the visits I did it just felt right.”

From Colorado, Morgan has something that no one else in this senior class has, and that is she was the final recruit for Flagler College’s former dominant volleyball head coach, Taylor Mott. Sadly, following a departure by Mott due to family reasons Morgan got thrown into a coaching scramble as she was recruited by one coach, played for another her sophomore year, and then finally settled into her third coach in three seasons in Matt Affolder.

“The coach I got recruited by left due to family, then Brian took over, and then after that falling out, Matt came along,” said Morgan.

In Affolder’s first season Morgan produced 1,153 assists, 7 double-doubles, and she put together 58 assist in a contest with Montevallo. Coming out of her second coach in two years, Morgan found a new level in Affolder’s first season.

“We had a coaching change that was needed and the mentality was excitement to have a coach as excited and as passionate as we were,” said Morgan on her mentality going into 2014-2015.

Since settling into the program, Morgan has been playing at a price after enduring her junior season with a torn labrum. By looking at her stats for the year, no one would assume she was injured. After the Saints only managed to go .500 and reached the conference title game, falling to the eventual conference champions, Armstrong State. At the conclusion of the season Morgan fixed the injured labrum, but following her rehab assignments, she injured her back. Morgan has been plagued this season by the lingering injury that has allowed freshman Tara Savisky to flourish in her absence.

“The injury I have is a judgmental call,” she said.

The interesting part about Morgan’s injury is the possibility of a redshirt which would allow her to play another year for Flagler College, but being a senior and being that close to starting a career is a there as well.

“Every athlete wants their career to last as long as possible, but I want to start my career,” she said. “But I’m not counting out a redshirt.”

This season has seen the Saints do some remarkable things that have not been done in recent memory. This 2015-16 squad has defeated Armstrong State, snapping a 9-match skid against the Pirates. The Saints currently sit in a position most teams would kill to be in where they control their destiny going forward. With current number one team in the PBC U.S.C Aiken coming to town, the Saints have a chance to win the regular season title, and host the PBC Final Four. In Coach Affolder’s second season at the helm, this team has a chance to shoot for the stars with thier best roster to date.

“It’s our year. We are in complete control of the outcome of this year,” said Morgan.