Shaw University
NCAA DII • CIAA
Date: March 28, 2025
Would Recommend
Tags
I was recruited by Coach Paulk out of high school and have known him for 5 years. I attest that the person I came into college as and the one I will be leaving has grown significantly as a volleyball player and as an individual. I had one skill coming out of high school and little experience as a 6 rotation player and was a huge development kid, yet that did not deter Coach Paulk from recruiting me and consistently focusing on elevating my mental and physical game over the last 5 years. One of my favorite quotes I got from him in practice was, "There is no such thing as failure, only quitters, because if you continue to fail, eventually you will succeed." My college career is a testament to Coach Paulk's ability to recruit, teach, and win. Coach Paulk's commitment to player growth allowed me to, in my last year, lead the reigning CIAA conference championship team in kills, top 4 in the CIAA for kills per set, top 4 in the CIAA for points per set, USCAA Most Valuable Player, All-CIAA 2nd team, CIAA All-tournament Team, and CIAA Tournament Most Valuable Player. While Coach Paulk is a great coach, he, as a person, is where he is truly valued. Off the court, I've had the honor of building a relationship with him that has contributed to my personal growth as a person and helped me focus on life post-college volleyball. Coach Paulk is easy to talk with and occasionally likes to sing his own rendition of "Charlie, Last Name Wilson" by Charlie Wilson. On long bus rides, for those who want to, we play lots of UNO, and many of us players have a terribly bad losing record to Coach Paulk in iMessage phone games. All this to say, I consider myself one of the lucky ones to have landed under Coach Paulk for my collegiate career and also a lifelong mentor that I trust is just a phone call away.