Prep volleyball: Gonzaga Prep’s Hannah Wood stands out as momentum changer

Top-quality leadership, rare as it is, comes in myriad forms.

Hannah Wood seems to check all the boxes for the Gonzaga Prep volleyball team.

The 5-foot-11 senior, an only child, has deep roots in her small but tight-knit family and her Christian faith. The family moved from Texas to Spokane the summer before Wood entered eighth grade, and she went to Northwest Christian for two years before transferring to G-Prep.

“I thought Gonzaga Prep would provide a better opportunity for me to grow as a person and was a great program for me to expand my horizons,” she said.

“The teachers actively give help, the coaches have been wonderful and the programs have been amazing. The religious life, as well. I thought, on Day One, that the religious life – having that common bond – made me feel very welcome here.”

Wood’s spirit, personality and sense of humor also played a role in her smooth transition to a new school in a relatively new state.

“That’s a lot of change for kids, but she fit in here pretty seamlessly,” Bullpups coach Jill Benson said. “She carries herself pretty confidently and kind of tries to avoid drama and she’s very caring. She has been a great role model – a big-sister kind of vibe – with our younger girls, always making sure they were OK or that they had rides. She had instilled confidence in them so that they feel like somebody older than them had confidence in them.”

For all her intangibles, Wood makes a tremendous impact in the box score, too, from varying positions on the floor. She was a first-team All-Greater Spokane League selection as a junior last year and leads G-Prep this season in kills (107) and hitting percentage (.300) while ranking second on the team in blocks (23).

“She has the ability to play all three positions across the front row and actually has for me every year,” Benson said. “One year she has been a middle hitter, one year been a right side hitter and an outside another year.

“So she’s very interchangeable and very adaptable in those positions.”

That productivity and versatility have helped pave the way to Wood committing to continue her education and volleyball career at The Master’s University, a Christian college in Santa Clarita, California.

“Right as I drove in campus for my visit, I kind of had a moment of, ‘I feel like this might be the one,’ ” Wood said. “The team was very welcoming. I loved how competitive they were and the coaches are incredible.

“The spirituality there is really strong. It’s like a family and they lift each other up and that is really important to me.”

If her time at The Master’s is anything like her tenure at G-Prep, that feeling will be reciprocated.

“I think she has the ability to change momentum – not just with her skill, but energy, voice, you know, spirit,” Benson said. “She has the ability to change momentum.

“She has multiple avenues to do that, that’s what’s kind of cool about her, because it’s physical power, it’s joy and excitement, it’s celebratory power. She has great serving skills, which is semi-rare for more of an attacking player, not a back-row player. She brings us together even when she’s not on the court because she only does play three rotations, but her celebration off the court can even change momentum.

“Just the way she can speak to some of the players when she’s off (the court) and they’re on is a helpful hand.”