Layla Truitt ’22 Signs to Play Volleyball for Santa Clara University

Layla Truitt ’22 signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her athletic career at Santa Clara University, where she also plans to study international business. From the court to the classroom, Layla is a well-rounded, hardworking Hutchison student who lives up to our mission of showing girls they can go anywhere they can imagine. See the video at the end for how she worked toward this moment and how she cherishes her time on the court and in the classroom.
Layla dreamed of playing college volleyball for a long time. Although she originally played a different position, she realized if she wanted to get recruited by a college she would need to become an outside hitter. She knew that even at 6′1″, she wasn’t tall enough to be a middle.

Now in her senior year at Hutchison, she officially signed her National Letter of Intent to play volleyball for Santa Clara University, over 2,000 miles away. Layla is receiving a four-year full scholarship. Teammates, coaches, family members, and teachers filled the stands in Goodlett Gym to celebrate with her at the signing ceremony.

Dr. Kristen Ring, a former collegiate athlete, said Layla’s athleticism speaks for itself but she is so much more than that. Dr. Ring said Layla’s ability to rally and engage her classmates is astounding, and she brings life to everything she does. 

Her coach of five years, Michael Ralph, said Layla is a dynamic player but she also wants to see her teammates improve and succeed.

“She has earned every bit of this. I could not be more proud to have you move on,” Ralph said at the signing ceremony.

Photo by Jenn Blackburn Photography

“I'm excited to grow more. I want to see more for myself. I want to see what else I can do.”

Layla has played volleyball for seven years. Her older sister also played the sport in high school, which inspired Layla when she was young. Layla got an early start on the Hutchison varsity team, joining when she was in eighth grade. She said she learned a lot from her older teammates that would prove valuable as she grew older.

“Hutchison gave me the grit and the work-hard mentality that pushed me to the next level. I had to prove myself to people so much older than me. I knew I had to work that much harder to stay on the court,” Layla said.

Coaches named her the Most Valuable Player on the varsity volleyball team at the Fall Athletics Awards. Layla also plays on the 18’s Masters team for the Memphis Metro Volleyball Club. She is a six-rotation outside hitter, which means she gets a lot of action and plays the ball often. Her favorite part of the game is celebrating a good play.

“I love when everything just clicks: a great pass, a great set, an awesome hit, and coming together as a team,” she said.

She spends a lot of time practicing and training every day, from regular practice to private lessons to working on skills with her club team. Layla also has learned to be a leader and be personable. She makes it a point to get to know her teammates on a deeper level.

“On a team where everyone is good, you have to learn how to get along with everyone else. You have to learn how to talk with people and how to get people to want to play with you and want to win with you,” Layla said.

Her accomplishments extend beyond the court. Layla is president of the Honor Council, a member of the Chinese Club, president of the Library Advisory Board Club, and an avid reader. Some staff members even go to her for book recommendations.


Layla Truitt ’22 highlights new vocabulary words in AP Chinese class. She chose to study Chinese in 7th grade and hopes to travel to China one day.
 
Layla came to Hutchison in the sixth grade when her family moved to Memphis. She said she could not have asked for a better journey through school. She enjoyed her classes, especially government classes in which she learned about the structure of U.S. society.

“My classes afforded me the opportunity to learn how to speak for myself, advocate for myself, advocate for those around me, and be able to have a conversation with someone on a level that's mature,” she said.

As she reflects on her time at Hutchison, Layla said she is grateful for the rigorous curriculum, and she feels prepared for the next level of education. She wants to study international business while at Santa Clara University.

“I would love to travel. I want to experience different cultures. When all is said and done and I’ve retired, I want to say I traveled and I enjoyed my career,” Layla said.

Layla said Hutchison is where she was meant to be, and she hopes she has left an impact. She wants girls to say, “if Layla can do it, I can do it.”

“I hope someone exceeds my accomplishments. I want someone to come behind me and break all the records. I want people to know anything is possible,” she said.

We wish Layla well on her collegiate journey beyond Hutchison. Congratulations!

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