Volleyball Player Learns She Got a Full Athletic Scholarship & Tells Her Mom in Adorable Video
A University of Louisiana Monroe student-athlete was in for the “best news ever” this week.
Albany Schaffer, a junior defensive specialist on the university’s volleyball team, learned on Monday that she had received a full athletic scholarship for her final year of eligibility.
“Today, @albschaffer21 was rewarded for the unbelievable work she puts into our team! So proud of the example she sets for us each and every day!” the team tweeted alongside a video of the emotional moment.
In the clip, the Kansas native was given a note praising her leadership and dedication to the program, which she read aloud to her teammates and coaches.
“You are and have been one of the hardest working and most dedicated players on this team,” she read. “You are a great teammate and leader in this program. Today your hard work pays off.”
“For the spring semester of 2019, you’re going on full athletic scholarship,” she finished, getting choked up. “Congratulations!”
But Schaffer didn’t enjoy the excitement alone. Aside from celebrating with her incredibly proud teammates and coaches, the college athlete also shared the big news with her mom Amy via FaceTime — and she was visibly taken aback.
After delivering the news, Amy’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened. She remained in that shocked expression for quite some time before yelling, “Oh my god! Really? Oh my god!”
“That’s the best news ever!” her mom proudly said. “You deserve this so much!”
Schaffer’s coaches Russ Friedland and Sara Rishell later explained to PEOPLE that the program had an open scholarship for the spring semester and she was the “clear choice” to be the recipient.
“[We] rewarded Albany for her work ethic and attitude, on and off the court,” he said. “She was a clear choice to my staff when we knew this opportunity would present itself.”
“Albany is a great teammate, one who her peers look to in good and bad times,” Friedland continued. “She’s super positive and is very coachable. She wants to be the best at her craft and you can see that in everything she does.”
Added Rishell: “Albany came in each and every day with a positive mindset and helped her teammates become better. She is truly a game changer with her mentality and her effort.”
A three-year player, Schaffer has been a walk-on for the program until this week, consistently seeing court time from her freshmen year. In her sophomore year, Schaffer appeared in 86 sets and totaled 146 digs and 17 service aces on the season, according to her bio on the team website.
Her aces were the third-most on the team, while she finished fifth for digs.
