Beyond the Court: Marley Baker

ORLANDO, Fla. - When one door closes, another door opens. At the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the door to play is always open as inclusivity is one of the organization’s core values, ‘Sports for All, Forever.’ That was the lesson that Marley Baker learned when she found she wouldn’t be able to play on her school’s volleyball team.

Baker tried out for her school’s team with no experience or knowledge of how to play, but was determined to show her passion to learn and become a strong player. After going through the initial portion of tryouts, Baker left to attend a family wedding cross country, hoping that she had shown enough heart to make the team. When the roster was listed on the school’s Instagram page a few days later, Baker was elated to see her name on the list.

However, elation soon turned to heartbreak as she discovered upon arriving at her first practice that the school had made a mistake on social media. In actuality, she had not made the team. It was a crushing disappointment for Baker, who wanted more than anything to learn and play volleyball.

Wanting to help his daughter feel better and get involved with volleyball, Baker’s father researched local club programs and came across the AAU Volleyball and the Trinity Volleyball Club. Baker was welcomed with open arms to the program, which has been a great fit for her and her family.

“It’s fun and the coaches are really nice, and I don’t know, it’s a lot,” said Baker with a giggle when asked what she likes most about playing with Trinity.

“I think it’s taught her a lot about teamwork,” said Baker’s mother, Tonilee Lott, who also commented that playing AAU Volleyball has helped Baker come out of her shell. “No matter how hard you independently want to do something like win, you can’t do it alone, you always need to have somebody there to support you and have your back.”

Not only has Baker learned important life lessons and enjoy playing AAU Volleyball, she’s also become quite good at the game. After starting out on Trinity’s Mini team, which is meant for players new to the sport, Baker tried out and made the club’s 12U team. Baker regularly plays the whole game while helping her team win several important matches. They’ve even given her a cool nickname, “The Freezer.”

What started as a terrible disappointment has turned into a great story of overcoming adversity for Baker. While going through a difficult moment, she never lost her passion for volleyball. Her love for the game is clear to everyone who watches. Baker and her family had a thrilling experience not too long ago where an accomplished stranger took the opportunity to give her some pointers and praise on her game.

While practicing and hitting the ball around on the beach with her dad, an unknown woman who was walking her dogs, stopped what she was doing and sat to watch the two play. She soon began shouting encouragement and instructions to Baker.

After about 30 minutes, the father and daughter duo took a break to meet their on looking coach, who introduced herself as Mary Jo Peppler, a four-time USVBA Most Valuable Player and Volleyball Hall of Famer. It was a thrilling moment to learn that Baker had caught the eye of one of the sport’s all-time greats.

“She said that if I was college-aged, she’d want to recruit me,” Baker recalled Peppler saying to her. “It was really cool and it kind of gave me goose bumps.”

It was an unforgettable experience on a journey that was made possible through the open arms of AAU Volleyball. Her mother has been so grateful for the opportunity they found in the AAU.

“It was really exciting and I’m glad that she’s found something she loves,” said Lott.