Santa Clara University women’s volleyball has burst onto the scene this season, and a newly formed big three is leading the charge.
First, there’s Morgan Hayes ’28, who ranks 23rd in the nation with 4.28 kills per set. Hayes has been an absolute force on the court, but she didn’t pick up the sport until sixth grade, the same year she joined her aunt’s club team and fell in love with volleyball.
“The friendship atmosphere was amazing,” Hayes said. “I loved the whole volleyball spirit, being on a team with different girls, competing with them, traveling.”
Hayes grew up in Hawaii, and volleyball was everywhere—every member of her family played. But when she made the move to Sacramento in high school, her biggest challenges came off the court.
“That was a huge transition for me,” Hayes said. “I was very timid. It was a new culture, and I had a huge culture shock. I had to grow out of my shell, which I eventually did.”
Hayes eventually found her footing in Sacramento, but her first year at Santa Clara didn’t come easily.
“My freshman year, I literally couldn’t keep up with how fast we would play and our volleyball system,” Hayes said. “I just had to trust the process, put my head down and be patient. Whenever I had free time, I would go to the gym and work on self-toss attack or I’d bring a couple of girls to work on serving and hitting. It took passion and patience.”
Hayes also credits the people around her, starting with Tia Kapihe ’28, a fellow Hawaii native whose mom ran the club Hayes played for back home.
“Freshman year, she and I were just always together,” Hayes said. “We would do everything. I consider her my sister.”
That work has paid off, and opponents have noticed. After being one of several options last season, Hayes now sits at the top of every opponent’s scouting report.
Next there’s Macy Hinshaw ’28, who ranks ninth in the country with 10.76 assists per set. Hinshaw has racked up 721 assists this season, running an offense that has made life difficult for opponents.
Volleyball also runs in the family for Hinshaw. Her mom played in college, and her older sister is also a setter. Hinshaw started playing volleyball in the third grade, and by the time she reached middle school, she was totally hooked.
“Since it was something that my sister loved to do, I loved to do it too because I looked up to my sister so much,” Hinshaw said. “Right before high school is when I really knew that this is what I wanted to do.”
Growing up in Indiana, Hinshaw had her eyes on the West Coast. Club tournaments in Colorado and Utah sold her on the region, so she started emailing West Coast coaches on her own. When head coach Erin Lindsey invited her on an official visit during her junior year, the decision came quickly.
“I came out here with my mom and immediately fell in love with it,” Hinshaw said. “I know this is where I’m going to be. My mom could tell too.”
As a setter, Hinshaw is constantly communicating with her teammates on every possession.
“A lot of people compare it to being the quarterback of the team,” Hinshaw said. “You’re running the whole offense and deciding what happens next. You’re basically setting up your hitters to put the ball away and find the best way to score.”
Even with her impressive numbers on the season, Hinshaw is quick to credit her teammates for her success.
“I obviously wouldn’t have any of the assists if my hitters weren’t putting the ball away,” Hinshaw said. “It’s super fun to be able to mix it up and make it really hard for the other team to know who I’m going to, because we have so many good tools on our offense.”
Hayes sees that reliability up close.
“She’s very disciplined,” Hayes said. “I love how consistent she is. She’s just a reliable teammate.”
Hayes isn’t the only one benefiting from Hinshaw’s sets. Rounding out the Bronco trio is Cate Shanahan ’27.
Shanahan had a less traditional ascension to her role as team captain and leader of the Bronco squad. Like Hinshaw and Hayes, Shanahan grew up with many athletes in her family. Her father was a professional hockey player, and her older sister, Maggie, played volleyball with her growing up. One of Shanahan’s earliest volleyball memories is teaming up with Maggie at a summer camp to beat an older friend and a camp counselor.
“I remember thinking it was a big shift in confidence for me, like, I’ve got a little bit of a talent here,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan lived in New York City until she was 12 before moving to Toronto, where she started to take volleyball seriously. Shanahan attended Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts for high school, but there weren’t any competitive club teams nearby. So she joined a top club in Indiana, the same one Hinshaw played for.
“In my junior and senior year of high school, I would commute every weekend to Indiana to train and compete,” Shanahan said. “I was just on a plane all the time. I don’t recommend it to anyone.”
Shanahan said she received zero playing time for her club team and seriously considered taking a gap year before the opportunity to walk on at Santa Clara came about.
“Normally people commit their sophomore year of high school,” Shanahan said. “I never even took a visit to Santa Clara. I really didn’t know much about it. I just had heard that it was a good program, and had a good coach. I just took a leap of faith.”
After redshirting her first year, Shanahan earned a scholarship and a starting spot on the team as a sophomore.
“It was like my dreams came true,” Shanahan said. “I was a scholarship athlete, which is what I dreamed about all of high school, and now I was finally on the court and able to compete.”
Shanahan credits her success to her consistent work in the gym and the hidden advantages that came with her coming into the program at Santa Clara as such a raw prospect.
“I was always in the gym, and I was always watching film,” Shanahan said. “I kind of just became obsessed with volleyball and trying to catch up. One time my coach and I had a conversation about how bad I was when I first got here, and she said it was easier to train me because I just didn’t know a lot.”
After her sophomore year was cut short due to injury, Shanahan didn’t let it keep her down and came into her junior year last year with a hunger to win. She led the team with 372 kills, earned first-team All-WCC honors and was named captain, a role that pushed her well outside her comfort zone.
“If there’s a lot of pressure on me for game point, I’m like, wow, the fact that my team trusts to set me on game point,” Shanahan said. “Me four years ago would have been like, no way you’re even playing.”
Now, in the midst of her senior season, Shanahan’s desire to win with her teammates has only grown.
“Our conference has kind of been a bloodbath,” Shanahan said. “Everyone’s beating everyone, and whoever’s gonna win is gonna have some losses. I think we’re definitely a contender to win the conference.”
For all three, the ultimate goal goes beyond filling the stat sheet.
“We have a really solid group of girls right now, and we put in a lot of work to change the narrative of Santa Clara women’s volleyball,” Hayes said. “People wouldn’t know how much we care and how much this season means to us.”
Hinshaw came to Santa Clara with the same mission in mind.
“When I came here, I really wanted to change the program and leave it better than how I found it,” Hinshaw said.
For Shanahan, it all comes back to the feeling she’s chased since that summer camp match with her sister.
“Stats this, stats that, awards, whatever,” Shanahan said. “My favorite thing and favorite feeling in the world is winning with my teammates.”
Despite Hayes currently sidelined with an ankle injury, the team continues to push for the top of the WCC standings. Next, the Broncos hope to keep their four-match win streak alive when they host Saint Mary’s on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Leavey Center.