Life Pacific outside hitter Hannah Caddow, a Trinity Classical Academy alumna, earned one of the highest honors in collegiate sports on Monday.
The Warriors outside hitter was named an NAIA First Team All-American. The selection marks four straight All-American nods for Caddow, making the highest achievement now her standard.
“It’s definitely hard to put into words,” Caddow said in a phone interview. “It felt like a dream the first time I got nominated and the last time. Every single time it’s been surreal. It was the perfect end cap to the journey. It was always my dream to be an All-American. I never thought I’d be first team. I’m blessed with that.”
The outside hitter led Life Pacific to 18 wins with 382 kills and 45 service aces.
Caddow finishes her legendary Warrior career with 1,580 kills, 1,586 digs, 130 blocks and 152 service aces.
The All-American graduate student has entered every year at Life Pacific looking to grow as a player, teammate and person.
“I definitely knew every single year that I had a lot of growing to do, even after my first All-American nod,” Caddow said. “I told my coach that I wanted to keep learning because I knew I could get better. This year my numbers were exceedingly better than my past. I thought it was possible but was never sure if the nomination would happen. It was pretty amazing.”
Life Pacific wasn’t Caddow’s first choice but after hearing from her dream school that she wasn’t cut out to play outside, she found her home with the Warriors.
“I was turned down by one of my dream schools because they said I was too small to be an outside hitter but my parents kept pushing me to play the position I wanted,” Caddow said. “I earned All-American selections, in the same conference as the team that turned me down. That was amazing.”
The outside hitter praised her parents along with all of the others who have helped her through the years reach the heights of a four-time All-American.
“My first shoutout goes to my Legacy volleyball family and Trinity,” Caddow said. “All the teammates and coaches in the journey created a loving and encouraging environment for me to grow not only as a player, and a person. My biggest thank you goes to my family, my little sister, my brother and mom and dad. They’re my biggest inspiration.”
“Next big thank you is to my Life Pacific program, the athletic department, coaches and my teammates, who have been my best friends in the world. Me accomplishing all of this is thanks to them. I could never get this All-American selection without their hard work as well. My Life Pacific team deserves a huge shoutout.”
Caddow thrived thanks to her teammates’ and family’s support, both on and off the court.
“I’ve grown exponentially, not just as a player, but as a person, friend and teammate,” Caddow said. “I’m so thankful that I got turned down by that one school. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I’d choose Life Pacific every single time, they helped me grow. I’m a better person, not just a better player.”
Volleyball is far from over in the All-American’s life. As a player, Caddow will now enter her final season with the Warriors beach volleyball team before she finishes her collegiate career with her master’s degree in strategic leadership.
The outside hitter has already packed coaching onto her resume as well. Caddow has led the Bishop Amat junior varsity team, in the midst of her own busy season at Life Pacific. The coach made her impact at the high school and club level, where she was able to flip two of her players into teammates. Bishop Amat alumni Peyton Ertle, and club player Stephanie Mosley, both joined the Warriors to play alongside their coach.
With her collegiate playing career coming to an end soon, Caddow is far from done with the sport she loves. The Trinity alum hopes to continue to pass on her knowledge of the game, and with four All-American selections, there’s no youth player out there who wouldn’t listen to Caddow’s guidance.
“I know for a fact that for me, volleyball isn’t over,” Caddow said. “Whether it’s playing or coaching. I want to coach. Volleyball has been a gift for me and I want to gift it to other people. So many coaches have touched me over the years and I want to pass that on to other players. I want to be there for other players who were told they may be too small.”
