A young Merritt Beason almost tried out for cheerleading instead of volleyball. Now she’s the No. 1 pick in the second-ever Pro Volleyball Federation Draft and there’s a volleyball-loving Nebraska family that named their baby after her.
Where Beason grew up in Gardendale, Alabama, the choice for girls was simple: cheer for the football team or play softball. Volleyball was just not celebrated like it is in Nebraska and other Midwest states. Ninety-two-thousand people filling a stadium for a volleyball match would be unfathomable to her hometown.
On Nov. 25, the Atlanta Vibe traded their second and ninth picks in the 2024 PVF Draft to the Indianapolis Ignite for the right to select Beason first. The opposite hitter will start her professional career in January in a sport she didn’t even know she could love.
“Volleyball wasn’t a big thing,” Beason said. “I didn’t even know you could play volleyball at a young age. I didn’t grow up watching it.”
The first travel match her father Scott remembers, Beason’s team lost 25-0. The same girl served the entire match.
“I was like ‘What are we doing?’ This is the craziest sport ever,” Scott Beason said. “I never saw it coming, but we’re super glad she’s here.”
Beason has come a long way since. She’s a two-year team captain for No. 2 Nebraska and was named an AVCA First-Team All-American last season.
“Even when she was little, she’s always been a worker,” Scott said. “I’m not surprised (about her success) based on her work ethic.”
The Beasons had a net in their backyard and Scott says he has no idea how many volleyballs he hit to his daughter growing up. Beason was just always working, and it paid off.
“I would advise all the dads out there that they just need to find out about volleyball,” Scott said. “Get involved with it and see what a great sport it is. It’s been amazing.”
At Gardendale High School, Beason was a first-team all-state selection in Alabama and named a top-100 prospect in the class of 2020 by PrepVolleyball.com. Beason said she is in a small group of players from Alabama that play college volleyball today.
“Little Merritt hoped to go to community college right down the road,” Beason said. “It’s just something you don’t really dream of. I had no idea what world I was stepping into.”
Beason spent her first two years of college volleyball at the University of Florida where she became an All-SEC and AVCA All-Region selection as a sophomore and helped the Gators win a share of the SEC championship.
While the accolades were there, the opposite hitter needed a change after falling out of love with the sport. That’s when Nebraska stepped into the picture.
“These girls took me in at a time when, to be quite honest, I hated volleyball,” Beason said. “I didn’t want to continue playing volleyball. I wasn’t super confident in Merritt as a human being.”
The transition to the Nebraska uniform was “nerve-wracking” for Beason. She wasn’t sure how or if she’d be embraced at the powerhouse in Lincoln, Nebraska, that was over 900 miles from home.
“She was worried about it, leaving Florida and coming (to Nebraska),” Scott said. “Then everybody here has been so warm. It’s just been great. There is no place like Nebraska, and that’s just the truth.”
If there was any question on how the state of Nebraska embraced Beason, just know that an assistant coach, Kali Miller, on the Leyton High School volleyball team in the panhandle of the state named her baby “Merritt” after her.
It’s no secret that the opposite hitter is also beloved by her coaches and teammates. She’s often referred to as the “mom” of the team. However, head coach John Cook has a different noun for Beason.
“Merritt is a gift,” Cook said. “Those people are hard to find in this world anymore, people that are servants and want to give back. I just think that is the greatest example of how I can explain to people what Merritt brings to our team.”
One final postseason remains for the senior Beason after falling short in the title match last year.
“If you look at (the seniors’) legacy and what they’ve done, they’ve literally done everything but win a national championship,” Cook said. “We still have an opportunity to do that.”
While a trophy is the goal to end her career, Beason said what she’ll take away most is how Nebraska helped her find her love for volleyball again, something she didn’t know she’d ever get back.
“These girls, this coaching staff and all of the support staff took me in and allowed me to flourish in who Merritt is and accepted me for who Merritt is,” Beason said. “There’s countless memories and history that was made, but I think that alone is what I’ll forever be thankful for.
