Playing volleyball checks a lot of boxes for UAFS sophomore Morgan Creer 

Coming out of high school, Morgan Creer’s first offer to play collegiate volleyball came from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS). She jumped at the chance to play for the Lions, and hasn’t looked back.

Creer, a 6-foot right side hitter, recently finished up her sophomore season with the Lions. For her first two seasons, she was third on the team in kills and second in blocks.

“Sometimes in volleyball, it’s not always about slamming the ball,” Creer said. “You’ve got to work on your shots, you’ve got to tool (hitting the ball off a blocker’s hands) and roll (a technique to get in better defensive position after a hard hit) and throw down the ball. So, I like playing mind games on other people.”

As a sophomore, Creer finished with 191 kills, and had seven matches where she had at least 10 kills, including 14 in a September match against Ouachita Baptist. She also had 14 blocks.

“I signed with UAFS, and that was my first offer,” Creer said. “I think I was at my sister’s volleyball game, and I got a phone call from (coach Jane Sargent). Right after she gave me the offer. I was like, I’m completely down (with accepting it). … And I’m grateful to be here.”

Playing at UAFS also checked a lot of boxes in other ways for Creer. It wasn’t too far from home, having played high school ball at Hooks, Texas, just outside of Texarkana. She likes the program and playing for Sargent, the Lions’ longtime coach.

Creer said the school has the degree – media communications and business – she’s pursuing. But she hasn’t ruled out possibly being a coach after college, as she has also coached youth volleyball on the side.

Volleyball has been a lifelong passion for Creer, whose mother coached the sport. Having spent time in the gym at a young age, Creer also used volleyball as a diversion from having to do her homework. What also drew Creer to volleyball was the sport’s mental aspect.

“It’s like a mental sport where you can have fun and then cancel all the noise in the outside world and all your problems,” she said. “And like if you’re upset, like take it out on a ball and then have fun at the same time. … And when you’re inside those lines in the volleyball court, your problems go away. That for me, that makes life so much easier.”

Creer recorded more than 1,000 kills in her high school career. While in high school, she also played AAU volleyball in Dallas, going there three times a week, even on school nights. Though Creer also played basketball in high school, it still didn’t compare to playing volleyball and the bonds she shared with her teammates in that sport.

“You just have fun and you make friends and like my AAU team, we still talk to this day,” she said. “Without volleyball, I would not be traveling the world or I would still be in Texarkana if I was not in volleyball. … I have had fun, like I have a great support system and everybody just wants to watch me be great and everybody knows that I’ve been playing this sport since I was five years old and nothing has changed my mind.”

In preparation for her third season, Creer wants to add another dimension to her game. Not to mention attaining a few goals.

“I’m really trying to train to be a six-rotation right side serving and passing; that’s a goal for me,” she said. “Then, I want to keep building team chemistry with each other. Be the leader on the court, be the vocalist on the court. Stars don’t yell all the time, but you need to back it up on the court so I would be that person.”