Hannah Thompson keeps reaching high for Cibola volleyball

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Hannah Thompson's road to volleyball stardom has taken some interesting turns. The 5-foot-10 Cibola (Albuquerque) junior tried several different sports over the years, all with success.

Her mother, Vercye Thompson, told MaxPreps, "I thought she was going to be a ballerina. I put her in ballet and we saw her in the Nutcracker. But at age 4 her muscles already were defined in her arms and legs. Her leotard barely fit. She had a little pink tutu and she hates pink. And she also was really bossy. That made me think this was not for her."

Then her parents had her concentrate on gymnastics, in which she had an excellent 10-year career - until she grew too tall. One might say she outgrew that sport.

Hannah decided on her own that she would be a cheerleader at age 12 - because she liked tumbling - and joined the Razzle Dazzle Cheerleading Club. She insists that she enjoyed her one year of cheerleading, but heard constant comments such as "Why do you like cheerleading? It's not even a sport."

So mom and dad sent her to a club volleyball tryout as a seventh grader, though there were no high expectations.

"So she makes the (elite) team and then I had to come home and tell my husband (Jon) how much it was going to cost," Vercye recalled.

"My dad didn't want me to play volleyball at first," Hannah confided. "He was not happy about the shorts (too short)."

Jon agreed to accompany Hannah to a national qualifying tournament in Denver. Vercye recalled, "He was excited and devastated on the the same day. He saw the best and worst at that level. We had always been a football and basketball family (Jon played football for the University of New Mexico), but we completely shifted to a volleyball family."

At Taylor Middle School, Hannah said her first experience with volleyball "was hard because I never had done a team sport. I always had depended on myself."

She made the Cibola varsity squad as a freshman, but did not start.

"A lot of coaches thought I was a junior who transferred in from Texas," Hannah said, stressing the fact that she always had lived in New Mexico. "It (the game) was faster and I changed positions from middle blocker to outside hitter. The girls were way older. I just turned 14 and it was very scary."

Hannah earned a starting position as a sophomore and was voted co-captain even though she still was the youngest player on the team.

Coach Cydryce McMillian noted, "She was so athletic, but behind in volleyball things. Her work ethic was remarkable. Her coming-out party was against undefeated Sandia (Albuquerque) in the (state) semifinals. Everything just clicked and she put on a show. She was so confident."

The Cougars won in five games against the defending state champions, then captured the Class 6A crown in their next outing.

Hannah recalled, "It was kind of a relief. I literally just laid in the middle of the court. I was so happy and overcome with every emotion. Everything clicked at the same time."

Coach McMillian stressed that this season, "I expected a lot more of her. I knew she was hungry and would come in as a sponge. She dominates in the front row with her ability to get above the net. Her confidence is growing. We continue to work with her on ball handling and defense."

Now, Hannah admits, "We definitely have a target on our backs. I'm a captain again this year."

She definitely has done her part, leading the Cougars to an 18-5 record entering this weekend's state tournament. In her first 20 games she posted 218 kills (19 against Cleveland), 64 digs, 15 blocks, nine aces and eight solo blocks.

The Cibola star's greatest asset is her other-worldly jumping ability. She had a vertical jump of 37 inches as a freshman and it is believed to be around 39 inches now. She can grab a basketball rim.

Coach McMillian affirms that "you can count on one hand" how many times her thunderous spikes have been blocked this year. "It just fires up the other team when she does get blocked."

"I've never jumped out of the gym, but a few times it looked like I intended to," Hannah laughed. "I don't keep track (of how many times her hits are blocked). The entire gym explodes. It's really frustrating. It seems like everybody in the gym is against me. It definitely drives me to do better."

It's just a great tribute to her talent that opponents see her as the giant Goliath and their team representing tiny shepherd boy David. That feeling is fully expressed by two prominent coaches who know her well.

Veteran Las Cruces coach Keith Leupold said only half-kiddingly, "I haven't seen her since early in the year and I'm kind of glad about that. She is a superb athlete with a great upside. She has strung together some great matches and she's got another year to inflict pain on the state of New Mexico. I have a freshman with similar skills. I let my freshman kid watch her jump. She has great jumping ability and will continue to get better and better."

Rio Rancho coach Toby Manzanares says he has seen the talented junior "way too much. You knew the kid was going to be special as a freshman. She's a high flyer. Her ability to hit over blocks is impressive. She hits as well from the back row as from the front row. She's a humble kid, always working to perfect her craft and get better. She's one of the toughest kids in our state to stop. The only thing she needs is to be a six-rotation player (basically three rotations at this point)."

Hannah's immense talent has earned her a full scholarship to the University of Notre Dame over such colleges as South Carolina, Nebraska, San Diego State, Colorado State, Auburn and New Mexico State. She has a perfect 4.0 GPA and wants to study sports medicine.

She showed her maturity when she revealed that her final choice came down to "If I didn't play sports, what school would I go to?"

We haven't even mentioned her track career. She runs the 100 and 200 meters and the 4-by-100 relay and was state runner-up in the 100 as a freshman. She finished fourth as a sophomore following a freak injury when a weight accidentally fell on her foot while walking through the school's weight room.

"I used a lot of Advil and stuck it out," she said of her painful race at the state meet.

Her best time in the 100 is 12.2 seconds and she hopes to break the 12-second barrier this spring.

She also could be a big point winner in the high jump and long jump, but her father said no because he wants to protect her knees from wear and tear and possible injuries.

Hannah also is active outside of sports, volunteering fro many fundraisers. She has done the Breast Cancer Walk, Elementary School Fall Fest and teaches at volleyball camps. She also is proud of dancing with her coach, a zumba instructor, on stage before a crowd of about 200 people during the Dig Pink fundraiser. 

Even opposing coaches predict that Hannah's future is bright, indeed.

Coach Leupold says, "I think the best is yet to come for her."

Coach Manzanares adds, "This is just the tip of the iceberg for this kid."