University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Add Natalie Hayward for Spring 2020
December 26, 2019 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee volleyball coach Eve Rackham has announced the addition of transfer, Natalie Hayward.
After spending two seasons at DePaul, Hayward arrives in Knoxville with two years of eligibility remaining. The junior setter will join the Lady Vols this spring after appearing in 29 of the Blue Demons 30 matches this past season.
"We are thrilled to welcome Natalie Hayward to the Lady Vol Volleyball program," Rackham said. "Natalie has the potential to be a top-notch setter in the SEC, and we feel fortunate that she will be joining us this spring. She will help us in running a stable and consistent offense while providing fantastic intangibles on and off the court."
Hayward was a big piece of DePaul's offense, playing in 117 sets, averaging just under six assists per set. Her 666 assists led the Blue Demons and placed her 10th in the Big East in 2019.
She concluded her sophomore season tallying double-digit assists in all but one of the 29 matches she played in, while recording 11 assist/dig double-doubles. Her 11 double-doubles showed her versatility in both running an offense, while constantly being a stable player on defense.
In high school, the Bothell, Washington native was a four-year starter at Archbishop Murphy High School. As a senior in 2017, Hayward was named team captain an earned the squad's Impact Player of the Year award. The year before, as a junior, Hayward was named First Team All-Area and was awarded the Cascade Conference's MVP.
Her mother Laurie played Volleyball at the University of Washington where she was the program's first volleyball All-American. Her father Mike played basketball for UW and was the Pac-10's Freshman of the Year in 1987-88.
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After spending two seasons at DePaul, Hayward arrives in Knoxville with two years of eligibility remaining. The junior setter will join the Lady Vols this spring after appearing in 29 of the Blue Demons 30 matches this past season.
"We are thrilled to welcome Natalie Hayward to the Lady Vol Volleyball program," Rackham said. "Natalie has the potential to be a top-notch setter in the SEC, and we feel fortunate that she will be joining us this spring. She will help us in running a stable and consistent offense while providing fantastic intangibles on and off the court."
Hayward was a big piece of DePaul's offense, playing in 117 sets, averaging just under six assists per set. Her 666 assists led the Blue Demons and placed her 10th in the Big East in 2019.
She concluded her sophomore season tallying double-digit assists in all but one of the 29 matches she played in, while recording 11 assist/dig double-doubles. Her 11 double-doubles showed her versatility in both running an offense, while constantly being a stable player on defense.
In high school, the Bothell, Washington native was a four-year starter at Archbishop Murphy High School. As a senior in 2017, Hayward was named team captain an earned the squad's Impact Player of the Year award. The year before, as a junior, Hayward was named First Team All-Area and was awarded the Cascade Conference's MVP.
Her mother Laurie played Volleyball at the University of Washington where she was the program's first volleyball All-American. Her father Mike played basketball for UW and was the Pac-10's Freshman of the Year in 1987-88.
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