Outside hitter Sophie Agee grew up wanting to play volleyball at the collegiate level, following in her mother’s footsteps.
Agee was surrounded by athletes in her family, having a brother who ran track at Wyoming and two sisters who played volleyball up through high school.
Throughout her life, Agee played volleyball, soccer and basketball and loved all three of them, but she knew volleyball was her calling after getting her first emails from colleges at the age of 14.
“I was having a holy cow moment and couldn’t believe I was already getting emails,” Agee said. “That was the first moment where I thought I could really do this.”
Agee, who played volleyball at St. Agnes Academy High School in Houston, Texas, kept receiving offers. In October 2021, after her senior season, she committed to Mississippi State, completing her goal of playing in college just like her mother
Agee played in 38 games across two seasons at Mississippi State. She had a stellar sophomore season, leading the team in aces with 25, finishing second in kills with 250 and coming third in digs with 171.
After the season ended, Agee opted to enter the transfer portal and committed to Alabama this past December.
Agee said her experience in Starkville was good but she was looking for more opportunities outside of school and an experience similar to her hometown of Houston, both of which she found in Tuscaloosa.
“Alabama has incredible opportunities even outside of volleyball that I saw and wanted to take,” Agee said. “Because I’m more than just a volleyball player after school I have other things that I want to achieve, and I saw that in Alabama.”
Agee hasn’t looked back on the choice since. She described her experience in Tuscaloosa as “amazing” and said she looks forward to seeing the school, the campus and the area around it every day.
She has formed a great bond with her new teammates, highlighting how well she has gotten along with them.
“I’ve actually never been on a team that gels so well,” Agee said. “I get along with literally every one of my teammates.”
She credited the support staff she now has for making her experience and transition to Alabama enjoyable.
Head coach Rashinda Reed wanted to turn the volleyball program around after a rough 2023 season where the Crimson Tide went 1-17 in SEC play, and she knew adding Agee would help.
“Sophie is a powerhouse on and off the court,” Reed said. “She embodies the relentless spirit of a competitive athlete.”
Agee believes a coach like Reed can help the Crimson Tide reach levels of success it hasn’t seen in a long time.
“I really love the vision that she has for this program,” Agee said. “When I came in, I really had that vision with her, and I really wanted to be a part of something special.”
So far in her first season with the Crimson Tide, Agee is first on the team with 233 kills, third in digs with 117 and third on the team with 16 aces.
Agee’s game day routine consists of listening to “Get In With Me” by BossMan Dlow before taking the court and chewing gum during each set, something she has done her entire career.
Before coming to Tuscaloosa, Agee had never been able to experience the rivalry between Alabama and Auburn, and she was finally able to when the team played at Auburn on Sept. 29 in front of 3,082 spectators, breaking a program record.
“Being a part of that was really cool,” Agee said. “Even though we lost, it’s cool to see people really care, and it’s cool to play in front of all of those people.”
Reflecting on her favorite moment so far at Alabama, Agee said it came when the team beat Georgia in an intense five sets. This was the team’s first home win over the Bulldogs since 2015.
“It was really cool to experience that with all the fans being at home, getting our first SEC win here,” Agee said. “It gave us a lot of momentum moving forward.”
Going further into SEC play, Agee believes the vision that she and Reed share is starting to come to fruition.
“We’re turning that vision into a real thing,” Agee said. “We’re kind of an underdog and people underestimate us, but we’re really good.”
Agee looks forward to proving people wrong and surprising the rest of the SEC: “I don’t think people see it coming, and I love that.”
