She’s only a freshman, but she’s going places. Meet Molli Sandlin, a three-sport athlete at Meek High School in Arley, Alabama.
The daughter of Kayla Howton and Jonathan Sandlin, Molli plays libero in volleyball for head coach Callie Estill, guard in basketball for head coach Britney Williams, and utility in softball for head coach Jessy Woods.
Last season on the volleyball court, she had 504 digs, 59 aces, and 47 assists. In softball, she hit .276 with a .373 on-base percentage, drove in 16 runs, scored 18 runs, stole 11 bases, and had a .927 fielding percentage. She received a Golden Glove Award and was named to the All-Area team in softball, all while carrying a perfect 4.0 GPA in the classroom.
Molli says that team bonding is the key to future athletic success but looks introspectively at her contribution to each team she competes with as well. “If I just practice more and learn more about my people, we can have more success,” she says. “I’m one of the youngest ones on my team, so getting to learn everybody is one of the key things.”
After she graduates from Meek in May 2028, she hopes to play volleyball at the college level while pursuing a degree in sonography.
Molli is involved in several school activities at Meek, including National Honor Society, Student Government Association, and DECA. One of the benefits of attending a school in a small town is the opportunity and accessibility, and Molli says her favorite thing about being an student-athlete at Meek is “being a part of everything.”
If you want a little window into Molli’s personality, here goes: she says her dream car/truck is a pink Bronco and her favorite hobbies are fishing and hunting. She also loves going to the lake and says she’d one day like to meet USA Volleyball player Zoe Fleck.
Regardless of what path Molli chooses to take in life, her experiences as a student-athlete at Meek will continue to shape her, every step along the way. TG
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