Morgan Shields has been setting up more than just the UW volleyball offensive attack in her four years at Wisconsin; she has also been setting up her future.
Growing up with three brothers meant that there were plenty of footballs, basketballs and soccer balls around the house, but volleyballs were hard to come by. She inherited the passion to further her education young in life and has been building a life-long love of sports for over 22 years.
“Both my parents were very into athletics, and they always put my brothers and I into park-and-recreational sports,” Shields said. “They have been my No. 1 fan and they have always supported me.”
Shields grew up looking for athletic activities in which to participate. She concentrated on swimming until the fifth grade, when she discovered her true love for volleyball.
“I went to a volleyball club program during the offseason in Watertown. It was a low-key program. I had a great coach and I learned the fundamentals,” Shields said. “I continued to play in high school, and it wasn’t until a coach told me to play for the elite Milwaukee Sting during the summer that I knew that volleyball is what I wanted to do.”
Shields inherited from her parents the soft hands and height, making her perfect for the setting position. She also inherited the ability to handle responsibility and a leadership role with strong desire.
“I choose to be a setter because there is a control element in setting, and I really need to be in control and setting lets me do that. Plus, I am very verbal and aggressive,” she said.
Shields’ work ethic started in her early years on the Milwaukee Sting club team due to an influential coach who taught her the meaning of hard work.
“My club coach Joe Lynch didn’t teach technique, but he made you work and I wanted to come to practice and work so hard for him, and he wouldn’t [let] you get away with no effort. It made me love going to practices on the weekend,” Shields said.
Looking to attend a top-notch university, Shields was originally more interested in playing college volleyball at Michigan State than Wisconsin.
“Michigan State had a strong volleyball program when I was going into college, but after I visited the school, it just didn’t click and I also told them I was looking at Wisconsin,” she said. “Michigan State told me that Wisconsin was a party school, and if I wanted to be good at volleyball I should come to Michigan State.”
In time, Shields decided that UW was the right place for her. Coming into the program at Madison her freshman year, she found herself among a team of All Americans such as Teresa Livingston, Erin Byrd and Lizzy Fitzgerald. Surprisingly, Shields was not intimidated and worked that much harder to find a spot at the top of the roster. She was ambitious from the beginning and had the goal in her mind that she was going to play alongside these all-star athletes.
This year marks Shields’ fifth year as a Badger. She has become a co-captain of a young team and, at times, has felt her age creeping in.
“This year I feel like the old hen, mother-goose figure. But as the season progresses, I am starting to get more into it and realizing how good we are and how good our possibilities are to win a Big Ten title, [which] makes me excited,” Shields said.
Not only is Shields devoted to volleyball, but she is very much a scholar as well. Majoring in psychology and history and receiving a minor in women’s studies is no small task for a student athlete.
