WEBSTER CITY – Truth be told, there was a time when Hannah Myers was going to say goodbye to volleyball. Why? Because she wasn’t very good, at least she didn’t think so.

Stuck on the second- and sometimes third-team roster during middle school, Myers intended to relax when the fall came around during her freshman year. She didn’t need volleyball.

Fast forward more than four years and Myers smiles when she tells that story. As it turns out, volleyball is her favorite sport. The hitting, defending and fast-paced adrenaline rush that comes with each and every point – what’s not to love?

Always taller than her classmates, it didn’t hurt that the now 5-foot-11 Myers grew into her body.

“(WCHS head volleyball coach) Jess (Howard) pointed out to me every other day that I’ve got long limbs,” Myers says while chuckling. “But it was kind of a struggle to get my limbs to do what they were supposed to.”

Howard remembers the pushing and prodding she had to do to get Myers to agree to join the volleyball team prior to the start of the 2011 season. Little did she know at the time that it would be a sales job that would pay huge dividends.

“I really did have to talk her into it as a freshman,” Howard said. “She was one of those kids that grew fast and it takes a while to grow into your body. But she’s the kind of kid that you wish you could mold an entire team out of. She’s a great athlete and a great person.”

Four years and a truckload of accomplishments in volleyball, track and field and softball later, Myers has earned one more accolade – the 2015 Daily Freeman-Journal Female Athlete of the Year award.

“I’m happy to win this award and I’m a little surprised I won it, actually,” Myers said. “It’s really an honor to get this because (the other finalists) are really great athletes, too.”

Myers nudged out other finalists Cassidy Nerland of Northeast Hamilton, Molly Gilbert and Gabbi Hoversten of Webster City, and Alyssa Hegland and Ady Wintermote of South Hamilton on the strength of a senior campaign that included first-team all-North Central Conference honors in both volleyball and softball, and a spring season that was highlighted by a conference title and berth in the Class 3A state meet in the high jump.

“She really took advantage of her full potential,” Howard, who was also Myers’ softball coach, said. “She always listened really well. She liked to have fun and everything, but she knew when to get serious.”

Her final volleyball season saw her lead 4A in solo blocks with 75 – a skill that she perfected to demoralize opponents. She also blasted 194 kills and hit .219 to help WCHS stay in the hunt for the league championship throughout the regular season.

Her favorite moment? That one was easy – a thrilling five-set triumph over eventual 3A state qualifier Iowa Falls-Alden in front of an amped up crowd in the WCHS gymnasium.

“Beating them at home was pretty great,” Myers said. “It was so much fun to play in those situations.”

The track season didn’t get off to a particularly good start, but Myers eventually found her form in her two favorite events – the high jump and 100-meter hurdles. A personal-best clearance of 5-foot-1 to take the high jump gold at the Lynx Invitational catapulted her to a return trip to Drake Stadium in Des Moines a month later where she finished 14th in the 3A field.

“Getting my best jump ever at home, I was pretty pumped about that,” Myers said. “The shocker moment for me was making it to state in the high jump because at the beginning of the year I really struggled. I never thought I’d make it back there.”

The softball season was Myers’ chance to show her versatility. A three-year starter at shortstop, she moved to center field to help stabilize the defense midway through the season and then eventually came back to the infield to play second base. And she did it without ever missing a beat.

“That was kind of difficult, but it went pretty well,” Myers, who hit .388 with one home run, 17 RBI and 19 stolen bases said. “I was always an outfielder and I was comfortable there until I got moved to the infield as a sophomore.”

Her size and God-given athletic ability made Myers a prospect that jumped on the radar of a slew of college coaches, particularly in volleyball. Howard says she fielded calls from all corners of the state, and even some from out of state, as Myers continued to progress throughout her junior and senior seasons.

“I had coaches contact me from the Division III level to NAIA to JUCO schools, and there were some Division II schools as well,” Howard said. “I thought she could definitely go (the Division II) route if she wanted.”

But after mulling over the offers and thinking about what she wanted, Myers came to the decision that it was time to put competitive athletics in her rearview mirror. She loved it, but it’s time for something new.

“At the end of my junior year was when I peaked at volleyball and thought I really wanted to do that (in college),” Myers, who will attend Iowa Central Community College in the fall, said. “But after doing a lot of thinking I just decided that I wanted to be a student.”

Yes, she admits, her parents were a little disappointed when she finally reached her decision, but it’s not like they won’t have plenty on their plate. Older brother Boone, also a standout multiple-sport athlete at WCHS, is expected to be a starter at left tackle for the University of Iowa football team this fall.

Many athletes who follow in the footsteps of a successful sibling don’t always reach expectations, but that was never the case with Myers. She has left a path all her own.

“A lot of times I get asked if I’m going to play sports in college and it always ends up getting back to Boone, but that’s fine,” Myers said. “He’s doing great things (at Iowa) obviously, but I’m my own person.”

A powerhouse on the volleyball court. A jumping and hurdling talent in track and field. Miss Versatility in the field and at the plate on the softball diamond. Most athletes would be happy with just one, and yet she accomplished all three.

Not bad for a former middle school B- and C-team volleyball player.

Not bad at all.