USU volleyball’s Hannah Gleason lights up the court with her smile

Regardless of what is happening in the game, Hannah Gleason is always happy.

“She’s always the one that you can look to with a smile on her face and to be able to pick you up and helpful in every situation,” said Tasia Taylor, a sophomore who will be filling Gleason’s spot after she finishes her senior season on the team. “Every game she’s always the one that I can count on to come up to me and be like ‘hey you’re an amazing passer, you’re going to get this next one.’”

Taylor has worked with Gleason since last season and knows that, although she has big shoes to fill, Gleason is helping her to become the best libero she can be.

“Her leaving will be upsetting,” Taylor said. “Seeing her play makes me want to become a better libero and be able to take over when she leaves.”

Taylor is not the only player affected by Gleason’s positivity.

Gleason’s excitement has brought the team to double the amount of victories it had at this time last year at the beginning of the 2015-16 season.

She also holds a record of over ten games in a row with double-digit digs and recently tied a school record with seven service aces at the Gossner invitational last weekend and was named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the week.

Taylor said Gleason is the one she can count on to lift her up if she’s not having her best game or keep her excited if she is doing well — her leadership has brought a lot to the court.

“I’ll have a smile on my face even if I’m not technically doing my greatest — it’s kind of like a defense mechanism,” Gleason said. “If I’m not doing well in my game I try to keep a positive attitude and be good for everyone else.”

However, her contributions off the court mean much more to her team and coaches than any one record or victory.

“Hannah Gleason is a fun kid to work with,” said assistant coach Sammie Stuart who works closely with Gleason and the defensive specialists on the team. “She has this fun personality — it’s spunky, it’s engaging and contagious to be around. She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen.”

Life is not too serious for Gleason and her hard work is always accompanied with fun and even the occasional dance party.

“She is always the one that is happy and dancing on the court at practice,” Taylor said. Gleason later added the team holds a dance party in the locker room before each game to get pumped up.

“I just like to keep it light and fun,” Gleason said.  “I feel like volleyball should be fun all the time.”

Gleason has made a focused effort to develop friendships with every one of the 15 teammates she has and has made it about more than just volleyball.

“It’s totally easy because they’re all my best friends. Our team dynamic is one in a million to me,” Gleason said. “It’s honestly weird for me that we get along so well because there’s different personalities, but we are all so close.”

“She’s fun, she’s always willing to help, she’s the first person I go to,” Taylor said.

Gleason added that having a best friend and mentor on the team allows for the other players to feel comfortable on the court and it’s easy to keep the relationships because they are all her best friends.

With this being her senior season, Gleason realizes she has a responsibility to lead the team and leave something valuable with the program.

“It’s going to be weird without having her here, she’s been a great role model to me,” Taylor said.

“She’s setting the bar pretty high,” said Stuart, who will be working with the other liberos to try to fill Gleason’s shoes on the court after this season.

But Gleason’s focus is staying where it has always been — on the relationships outside the gym.

“I hope to leave not just memories of volleyball and records I set but I hope people remember me for who I am and how I was as a teammate,” Gleason said.