Pearson will play at DSU

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
Maybe not this spring, but eventually sports will go on. For Madi Pearson, who finished her career as a Lady Dogie a few months short of what she had hoped, the prospect of having another opportunity to don a uniform and participate in the sport she loves is welcome news.
Pearson has recently put pen to paper and signed her name indicating her commitment to play volleyball for Dickinson State University next fall.
“I’m really happy I am getting this chance to play volleyball again,” Pearson exclaimed. “It’s kind of a once in a lifetime type of opportunity. Not everyone gets this chance to keep playing.”
Pearson was proactive in securing her opportunity for post-secondary play when she filled out a recruitment form with her information, and sent out film of her in action on the volleyball court last fall. 
The effort paid off when Jennifer Willis, head coach of the DSU Blue Hawks Volleyball Team, contacted her mid-basketball season during which the two visited and planned an on-campus visit for the week following the state basketball tournament in March.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent quarantine put the kibosh on the visit, so Willis and Pearson planned a virtual tour where the coach would walk Pearson around the campus via a video phone call which would allow the two to visit with each other and other campus personnel.
Unfortunately, that tour got cancelled as well after Willis was locked out of campus, so they resorted to an online virtual tour, and visited via a Zoom meeting.
“She broke down how her program is set up and how it functions, she let me know when pre-season would start and she gave me some general information as well,” Pearson began. “It was really nice to be able to do at least that. I really felt welcomed by her, which made me feel really comfortable.”
After that meeting, Pearson was told to think over the offer, and was offered a scholarship to play as well. 
Pearson mulled it over for a couple of days and spoke with her family, after which she decided that she would jump on the chance to play at the next level.
Since Pearson is an all-around player, Willis has several options regarding where to use her on the court. Pearson informed the coach that she suffered a full dislocation of her shoulder in February, however since she is a versatile player, Willis assured her that she would put her in a position that would benefit both the team and Pearson personally.
Coach Willis played for the Blue Hawks and has been head coach for six seasons. During her tenure, she has led the team to their best season since 2010 which was her final season as a player, however she admitted that the team is currently building.
Dickinson is one of the few Division II schools who suits a junior varsity and a varsity team. As such, Pearson will get the opportunity to be on the collegiate court immediately. Since few D II schools have a JV team, the squad will play against junior college teams in the area.
“I’m pretty excited about that because it means I’ll get to play right away,” Pearson grinned. “And it also gives the program the ability to build players before moving up to the varsity level.” 
Pearson is currently awaiting information from Willis regarding summer workouts which will help prepare her to get started, and she has also begun the process of getting to know her teammates through a virtual program set up by the Blue Hawks coaching staff.
“The coach set up groups of six to interact with virtually, so that’s been good,” Pearson nodded. “It’s nice that we have the ability to get to know each other before the fall.”
With the assumption that fall sports will begin as scheduled, Pearson will begin her pre-season workouts in Dickinson on Aug. 10.
“I’m excited, but really nervous,” Pearson smiled. “But I think it will be good, because I’ve always been a super active person. So if I just was being a student, I think I’d get really bored so I’m thinking this will help me adjust to college life. It will also give me motivation to stay on top of my school work.”