Maddie Usry will keep her volleyball talents in state when she suits up at the next level.
Usry is a 2025 Gilmer High honor graduate, and she is set to take the floor for the Shorter University Hawks. Five colleges showed interest and she also received scholarship offers from Calvary College, Mo., Truett-McConnell University, Lee University and Brewton-Parker College.
“It came down to Calvary and Shorter,” Usry said. “Calvary sounded really nice and looked really pretty, but I went with Shorter because it’s closer to home. I’ve never been away from home for a long period before so I didn’t want to go 12 hours away.”
In addition to her campus tour, she also got to meet some of her future teammates.
“I loved the scenery at Shorter and the family bond you felt everywhere,” she said. “It’s not a big campus. It’s just a nice little Christian college. I wanted a Christian school very badly. Public schools are just too big, and I wanted to be in a close-knit community so I could really get to know people better.”
Usry enrolled at GHS in March of her freshman year. She made the transfer from Fannin County and found herself ahead of schedule once she arrived. Since Usry had previously accumulated additional credits, she reclassified as a sophomore to graduate a year earlier than expected.
“It was weird ... so very weird,” Usry said of her move south. “The culture here is very different. Fannin mainly focuses on sports but here they’re more like, ‘You have to do your schoolwork first. You’re not an athlete-student, you’re a student-athlete.’ That’s what I really liked about it. They gave us time to do our schoolwork and encouraged us to do it.”
Usry then began earning college credits while at GHS as part of the school’s dual-enrollment program. She spent time in classrooms at pre-K and Ellijay Elementary School.
She plans to study early childhood education and noted why it appeals to her.
“I love little kids and I was also told I’m not allowed to teach middle school,” Usry said with a laugh. “With ECE, I can either teach high schoolers about early childhood education or I can teach little kids.”
Usry’s volleyball journey began in the rec leagues when she was 8. Back then, she also played softball and basketball. Usry entered the volleyball club scene when she was 12. The travel circuit follows the high school season, and Usry said she typically played from January to June.
She was on five different club teams over the last five seasons and played most recently for Anthem United and 575 Volleyball. The season consisted of weekly practices and weekend tournaments.
“We usually played in around 12 tournaments per season, and in those tournaments, we’d play around eight games,” Usry said of the schedule.
“Travel volleyball taught me about adversity and flexibility. You have to be very versatile. For instance, a girl we faced was 6’ 5”. Their whole team was giants compared to us. You just have to have that mentality of ‘I’m going to get this ball up and not let it drop.’ It helped me out and helped grow my strength, versatility and mentality.”
Usry’s two seasons at GHS coincided with a transition for the program. Maria Huelsman took over and replaced longtime head coach Donna Parks. The Cats fell short of the state tournament both years. During Usry’s junior season, GHS was sixth in its seven-team region. The Cats ended their season in fifth place last year.
Usry took the court at libero and started both seasons. She was recognized at the conclusion of each year with an all-region selection and tallied 324 digs as a senior.
“Coach Heulsman was a big influence on me,” Usry said. “She was my first coach here after I transferred and helped me through some rough times. My mom and dad (Angela and Michael), they inspired me and helped me play club ball. They basically said, ‘You don’t get to give up.’ My dad was more about getting things done on the court and mom was more about me getting everything done in the classroom.
“I’ve always wanted to play in college. I wasn’t going to get upset if I didn’t get any offers, and then I found Shorter and all these other schools that said, ‘Oh, come play.’ I didn’t realize how many schools had volleyball. I went to Shorter several times for camps and it seemed like a really good fit.”
Usry will continue to be a defensive specialist for Shorter and take the court at libero. She plans to prove herself to her new teammates and battle for court time.
“Shorter is only bringing in six new players, and I know several at my position are graduating this upcoming year,” Usry said. “That will open some spots up, but I also have to prove myself. I’ll be on the developmental team, and I’ll have to work my way up to the varsity team.
“I’m looking forward to getting out of the house and trying to live on my own. That will be a challenge. I’ll actually be paired with one of my teammates who’s new like I am. I’m looking forward to that because I’ll get to know my teammates more.”
Shorter competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division II as a member of the Conference Carolinas.