LEGENDARY BASKETBALL PLAYER DENNIS RODMAN WAS FAMOUSLY NAMED “THE WORM”.
Hastings volleyball star Dani Udegbunam is… “Noodle”, for many of the same reasons.
“Dani is such a raw athlete,” coach Sharonda Marshall said. “I had to push her when I first got here because her body was just… all over the place. That’s when she got the nickname. She’s stiffened up a lot and has so much poise on the court. She can touch 10-feet, 4-inches and is so aggressive on the front row. It’s scary.”
She might be scary on the court, but off the court she’s a puppy.
“I’m completely obsessed with animals, especially my dog Ace,” she laughed. “If he is happy, I’m happy. If he’s sad, I’m sad. I hate to leave him when I have to go on Club (AVA) volleyball trips. I just miss him. He’s made me want to go to school for animal science and work in that field someday.”
For now, Noodle is putting in work to change the culture of Hastings volleyball, along with her teammates.
“I’ve grown to love the sort of volleyball through my coaches and teammates,” she said. “Before I leave here, I want to lead my team to the playoffs and beat all of our rivals. We have a really close bond as a team, and I like to be the funny one on the team. It’s important that people are comfortable around me and I try and give off a friendly vibe.”
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Udegbunam is a straight-A student and is equally as competitive in the classroom.
“That’s just my nature,” she laughed. “I’ll have a test in class, and I’ll be asking everyone what their grade was. I want to get a better score, every time. It pushes me.”
With volleyball and school taking up most of her time, what does Noodle do when she has a free moment?
“I love Marvel movies and right now I’m obsessed with Love Island UK on Hulu,” she said. “Like obsessed.”
Being relatively new to the game of volleyball, having just started playing Club ball, Udegbunam is not burned out on the sport. She also has tremendous upside as her body matures and her volleyball IQ becomes sharper. She has aspirations of playing college volleyball, but either way, she will be off to a university next Fall.
“When she puts it all together, she could be a college athlete,” Marshall said. “If not, she’s gonna be a heck of a vet.”
That’s her Ace in the hole.