The Coach Who Called Her Name Before Tryouts
In 2019, a high school volleyball coach in Cedar Rapids, Iowa named Dana Sexton showed up at a middle school tournament she had no reason to attend. She wasn't scouting. Her roster was full. But something pulled her into that gymnasium on a Saturday morning.
She watched a lanky eighth-grader named Marissa Caldwell dive for a ball everyone else had given up on. After the match, Coach Sexton walked up and said, "I've been waiting to meet you. I saw how you play when nobody's watching."
Marissa's mother was stunned. They hadn't applied to that school. They lived outside the district. "How do you even know my daughter?" she asked.
Coach Sexton just smiled. "I've had my eye on her longer than you think."
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