Crushing it on the court

When she was 7 years old, Addison Massey left behind her fledgling rodeo career and moved on to sports with nets. First it was tennis, then tennis and volleyball, and finally at the age of 13, Massey discovered her passion for team sports and homed in on developing her skills on the volleyball court.

Massey is the youngest of four girls, all of whom took up rodeo at a young age on the family farm in Animas. Her three older sisters have all competed in collegiate sports, one in tennis, another in volleyball, and one of them stuck with the rodeo arena. Addison found her greatest passion in volleyball.

“I think it was definitely because in volleyball you're allowed to have a lot more energy and it's a team sport,” Massey said. “I think I do better with a team than by myself.”

For three years now, Massey has been the dominant force in the state of New Mexico on the volleyball court. She’s a two-time New Mexico Gatorade player of the year and working on a third such recognition. She’s also the catalyst for a team that hasn’t lost a game in a long time. The Bulldawgs are working on an undefeated season, defending their state title from the past two years.

“Addison Massey is probably the linchpin for all this,” said Las Cruces head coach Keith Leupold. “She's just that good. There are some other excellent players, but Addison's a special, special talent. Not too many New Mexico players get to go to the Power Five conferences on a volleyball scholarship.”

Massey, who is homeschooled, will conclude her high school education early and begin the next phase of her schooling and volleyball career at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, after the first of the year.

“I think her most elite aspect of her game is her arm swing,” Leupold said. “She hits the ball with such great pace. When she was a freshman, we were at a scrimmage at Rio Rancho, and she immediately drew the attention of the UNM coaches. They were interested in finding out about her when she was a freshman, her first year at Las Cruces High.”

Once she was on the recruiting radar, others found their way to southern New Mexico. Massey was most impressed with the coaching staff at Kansas State. That’s why she’s headed to Manhattan.

“They believed in me since the first time they saw me,” Massey said. “And they also are just great people, and they made me realize that I'm not just like a tool for them, that they care for me as a person and not just a volleyball player.”

Homeschooling

While it certainly didn’t change anything with college recruiting, Massey also says that being homeschooled has been a blessing and not a hindrance in her athletic pursuits despite the fact that she’s not on campus.

“It's really beneficial for sports if you're homeschooled,” she said. “My school doesn't take as long as public school does, so I have more time on my hands to practice on my own or do more workouts. So that's very beneficial to me and it's also easier when I'm doing club volleyball because I can basically do school whenever. If I have to leave during the week for a club tournament, I'll still be fine because I can catch up on my school the next week.”

Since her volleyball teammates, both in her club program and at LCHS, are her friends, she also hasn’t had any issues with the social aspect of not being on campus.

While Massey has certainly earned all the accolades, she gives much of the credit to her family, teammates and great coaching she has received through the years.

“My family works really hard to make it where I'm able to have the opportunities to practice more and do extra skills work, and of course, I’ve had coaches who have been very nice to help me.

“I have Sydney Pipkin, who gives me perfect sets every single time, doesn't matter where she's on the court, and then I have Caleigh Garcia who's giving us great passes and great defense to make it where I have the opportunity to be set. That’s the only reason why I'm able to go out there and be dominant, because of my setter and my libero.”

Massey believes that God gave her a gift, and that, combined with a lot of hard work, are the biggest part of her success.

The game has taught Massey the value of hard work, but it also gives her a chance to change the lives of the next generation of Las Cruces volleyball players.

“She's very laid back,” Leupold said. “She's a great leader with the younger kids. It’s not uncommon for me to see her out peppering with one of the freshman kids getting to know the younger kids who really look up to her.”

“I try to hold everybody accountable, even if they're younger than me,” Massey added. “I think everybody can do better and I try to be really supportive and give them confidence.”

Las Cruces is currently 18-0 and riding a 48-match winning streak as it seeks to stack another undefeated state championship season onto last year’s perfect campaign. It would be the Bulldawgs third consecutive state title.