Stuart Named To 2015 SEC Community Service Team
December 02, 2015 | Volleyball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For many student-athletes, the drive to serve their community off the court is just as great as the drive to be their best on the court. For Ellen Stuart, that is just the case.
For the second time in her career, the Mississippi State volleyball senior has been recognized for her efforts outside of the gym, as she was named to the SEC Community Service Team, the league announced Wednesday.
The Austin, Texas native has been a constant presence in the Starkville and Mississippi State community when she's not in the gym working on her game. Since arriving to State in 2013, Stuart has been a model for student-athletes, serving in a multitude of roles to help enrich the surrounding community.
Since her first year in the Maroon and White, Stuart has served as the MSU volleyball representative on the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She has also served through a number of events organized by the Junior Auxiliary of Starkville, which is dedicated to enhancing the lives of children, youth and families in the area. Those include the "Reading Railroad," where Stuart and fellow MSU student-athletes spend time with children doing activities such as reading and arts and crafts.
Stuart also spends time at Vickers Personal Home Care, where she visits with residents as much as possible on Fridays, sharing meals with them and playing piano with and for them, amongst other activities.
Most notable of all is Stuart's work at Camp Ozark, a Christian sports camp in Mount Ida, Arkansas. There she has served as a counselor for high school girls for the last two summers (13 weeks total), coaching seniors in high school in a league of different sports, including shooting sports such as rifle, skeet shooting, archery, along with volleyball.
Stuart is a prominent figure when it comes to MSU campus ministry as well, serving as a leader with MSU YoungLife. She has also aided in the Gameday Carpool, meeting and greeting students at local Starkville schools in the carpool lanes in the morning, assisting them into school.
A member of the Tri Delta sorority, Stuart is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Stuart wrapped her final season in the Maroon and White this year, finishing with 24 digs and a .977 reception percentage on 44 total attempts. For her career, Stuart had 155 digs, 19 aces, 3 assists and 1 kill in 122 total sets played.
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