In this episode of She Aced That, Alyxandra sits down with Maya Winterhoff — middle blocker for the Columbus Fury of Major League Volleyball and App State's first-ever professional volleyball draftee. Selected No. 20 overall in the 2025 MLV Draft, Maya was the only player from the Sun Belt Conference drafted that year, capping off one of the most decorated careers in App State history: four-time All-Sun Belt, AVCA East Coast First-Team All-Region, over 1,000 career kills, and three consecutive seasons leading the Sun Belt in hitting percentage.

In this conversation, Maya opens up about:

🏐 Falling in love with volleyball as a sixth grader🏐 Why she chose App State over Dayton and Delaware (and the Instagram bio trick that helped her decide)🏐 The wild regional championship story that involved a ref call, a curtain, and social distancing🏐 What draft day actually looked like — including the pimple patches, the packing, and seeing her name on the screen🏐 The reality of transitioning from college to professional volleyball and playing alongside Olympic-level talent🏐 Why middle blocker is the most underappreciated position on the court🏐 Her dream of becoming a college coach and the path she's building to get there

Maya's story is a masterclass in trusting your gut, committing to your decisions, and letting your game speak — no matter where you start.

Follow Maya and the Columbus Fury this MLV season.