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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Mattress Firm Student of the Week: Bozeman’s Josey Hauser

Though she's only five feet tall, defensive specialist Josey Hauser is a light - and loud one at that, on the Bozeman volleyball court. (Aunica Koch / SWX)
Aunica Koch SWX
Though she’s only five feet tall, defensive specialist Josey Hauser is a light - and loud one at that, on the Bozeman volleyball court. “Her energy, you can feel it wherever she is,” said Hauser’s teammate, Sasha Hathaway. “Even if she’s just sitting on the bench cheering for us, sitting on the sidelines while we’re playing or she’s on the court playing, her energy is just so infectious for all of us.” As a senior on the Hawk squad, Josey is suiting up for her first season on varsity. She knows her role on the bench means just as much as when she’s the one making the plays. “Everyone thrives off of everyone and so the louder our bench is the better we play,” said senior defensive specialist, Josey Hauser. “I lost my voice because we cheered so loud.” But aside from bringing the energy and the volume, she’s also been dubbed the “mom” of the team - which means she has everything else, too. “She has gum, she has extra knee pads, socks, just like anything because we all forget stuff all the time,” said Hathaway. “I’m always there for the girls and they’re always there for me and it’s been like that since we were little and played club together,” said Hauser. “I guess I’ve just stepped into that role of being the ‘mom’ because I like to see things go accordingly. As long as I’m taking care of it, I feel like it’s going pretty well.” It’s not only her Hawks that she supports though. Hauser recently teamed up with Jeni Anderson from Northern Sky Counseling to help start a non-profit called She Rises MT. It’s described as similar to a YMCA and is excursively for girls. “We’re starting small. We’re going to schools and having seminars and getting to know the girls but we dream big,” said Hauser. “We’re going to have a facility where girls can go and play volleyball, they can play basketball, and hopefully we’ll have some room for studying with tutors.” The focus will be on girls transitioning from middle to high school that are struggling with something - whether that be depression, anxiety, body image or they just need some guidance from a friendly face. “They come out and watch us and cheer us along so we might as well help out the community and through that we can maybe build some more amazing volleyball players and strong women.” As the program continues to grow, the hope is that women will feel more supported, comfortable, and empowered.