NEW HOPE — Micaela Hudgins is following in her mother’s footsteps.
After spending her high school career playing for her mom, Becky, an assistant volleyball coach at New Hope, Micaela too will spend her college career at Mississippi University for Women, as her mother did in the 1990s.
“I kind of kept it to myself that I really would like her to play at The W,” Becky conceded Friday following Micaela’s signing ceremony. “I didn’t want to influence her decision. I wanted her to make her own decision. So when she picked The W, I was really excited.”
For both Micaela and Becky, the former’s high school career was a balancing act between mother and daughter relationship. The pair toed the line between being too hard on one another. If Becky crossed said line, Micaela knew they could have a conversation about it at home that night and vice versa.
But for the minimal brushups the pair endured, Micaela’s time at New Hope was filled with success. The Trojans reached the MHSAA Class 5A semifinals in back-to-back years, falling to Long Beach and Lake Cormorant in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Micaela, too becomes the first homegrown player to join the college ranks from a New Hope program under the guidance of Allison Woolbright that has cemented itself as one of the state’s best over the past few years. Woolbright noted that Micaela’s commitment to play at MUW gives a blueprint for future players at how they can best go about reaching the collegiate ranks.
“I think it just gives our program a little bit of inspiration for these younger players that are still coming up that know that is an opportunity open to them now,” Woolbright said. “And with a successful program they can go on and hopefully also get a scholarship or get an opportunity to play at the next level.”
Joining an MUW squad that’s in just its fourth year of competition after the school brought back athletics ahead of the 2017-18 school year, Micaela already boasts a familiarity with the staff. Head coach Brooke Beasley Carter has also served as Micaela’s club coach at Level Elite throughout her high school career.
Further, Becky’s former teammates have already begun blowing up her phone in hopes of seeing her daughter play at their alma mater as soon as this year.
“It was really cool,” Micaela said of putting pen to paper. “It was definitely an exciting opportunity. I’m happy to see how it goes, and I’m happy to finally be signed and committed somewhere.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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