Marian’s Hanus Finds Right Fit With Commitment to Missouri
OMAHA – It should come as no surprise that one of the state’s most precise and fundamentally sound passers would diligently go through a thorough recruiting process to make sure her decision was on-target.
And that’s exactly what Omaha Marian 5-foot-7 junior defensive specialist/libero Andie Hanus did before recently giving her verbal commitment to the University of Missouri. Hanus plays club volleyball for Premier, playing this past season on the 16 Gold team.
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“I wanted to make sure I took a fair look at all interested schools so I could be completely satisfied with my choice,” Hanus said. “Since I know I wanted to be totally committed to the school I chose I didn’t want to rush into any decisions. I felt like I considered everything and every school completely and am extremely excited about my choice.”
Hanus received previous offers from Big Ten, Big East, AAC and Mountain West schools before deciding on the Tigers. Her relationship with Missouri and its coaching staff actually started in 2012 – the summer before her freshman season.
At that time, Hanus was playing for the Premier 14 Gold team when Missouri assistant coach Lindsey James saw her play.
“She happened to see me play and we started a conversation about Missouri and the possibilities,” Hanus said. “I have been to a couple of their summer camps and have taken a couple of visits down to Columbia to watch games. As our relationship progressed I was able to spend time with the coaches and the team in greater depth and grew to really appreciate everything they are doing at Missouri.”
Hanus is planning to study biochemistry before deciding if she wants to move into Pre-Med or move into the Clinical Research area of study. By choosing Missouri, she said she will have the opportunity to be challenged and pursue her goals both on the volleyball court and in the classroom.
“I feel like every part of Mizzou fits what I was looking for in my future school. Not only am I going to get a great education, but the campus also has a great feel for the type of school I want to attend,” she said. “I have known the coaching staff for a long time and their style of coaching fits exactly with the type of team I want to be a part of. The volleyball team has also been very successful in the SEC. Everything about Missouri was perfect for me.”
So far on the season for the Crusaders, Hanus is averaging 3.5 serve receptions and 2.8 digs per set and also is serving at a 95.2% rate with 13 aces. As a sophomore last year, Hanus played a key role in the Crusaders’ Class A state-championship run by averaging 3.5 digs and 3.9 serve receptions a set while adding 24 service aces.
Hanus chalked up her development and success to playing her club volleyball at Premier and being surrounded by great teammates.
“I started playing club volleyball at Premier when I was nine years old. I think the early start on learning about the game and court awareness has contributed to the success I have had and sparked my love for the sport,” Hanus said. “But, more than anything, my teammates are really the reason I am here today. Constantly playing with such talented players at Premier and Marian has really pushed me to improve my game for the success of the team.
“I think having different coaches to learn different techniques from has been very helpful for me during my years. Each coach has challenged me and taught me things that I take in and learn from. I also think playing for Premier from the very beginning has helped me achieve success because Premier fits my personality and I was able to learn and grow under every coach I have had there. I think the Missouri coaches have very similar styles to my Premier coaches and I am so excited about the possibilities at Missouri!”