Third in a series
Part 2 - Natalie Cabiad, Women's Soccer Freshman
Part 1 - Kylee Clarke, Volleyball Freshman

MSUB SPORTS – Until she was 14 years old, Maddi Vigil couldn't have mustered more than a few sentences of description towards the sport of volleyball.
 
Unlike many athletes who go on to thrive at the collegiate level, a multitude of team sports did not comprise the upbringing of the star freshman on the Montana State University Billings volleyball team.
 
Rather, the outside hitter from Ogden, Utah was bred on power tumbling mats which she mastered to the level of a No. 4 ranking in the nation. Picking up volleyball in junior high school hinted that time was not in her favor to transform into a collegiate level player, but the competitive edge her family and only childhood activity supplied her with elevated her into an intriguing prospect by the end of her high school career.
 

"It's not gymnastics, it's completely different from that," Vigil is quick to point out the distinction between power tumbling and the more recognizable sport. "I was really dedicated to it from the time I was really little. I never played soccer or softball or basketball. It was always tumbling."
 
Now the top offensive player on the Yellowjackets with 3.37 kills per set, the transition from an entirely individual sport to one that requires near-perfect synchrony with five other individuals on the court was admittedly a tough one. "It was the hardest thing for me," Vigil commented on adjusting to working with teammates during her five-year-old volleyball career. "In tumbling if I made a mistake, I was the only one who had to fix it and I didn't have to worry about relying on other people and them relying on me to do our job. I have grown a lot since I've been here, and one of the biggest things that has changed for me is becoming more of a teammate."
 
As Vigil and the Yellowjackets prepare to host Rocky Mountain College on Pink Night Tuesday evening, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year candidate enters the week ranked No. 9 in the league in kills per set. Her success on the attack stems from her aggressive approach to the game, a key personality trait that has MSUB head coach Casey Williams excited about her potential to grow as a leader.

"Maddi demands a lot out of herself and her teammates, and she is one of the loudest and hard-working people in the gym," said the second-year head coach. "She has established herself as a leader on this team, and she has her best volleyball in front of her. She is only going to get better from here."
 
Vigil is still working on harnessing one of the most powerful swings on the team, but has come a long way since bombing attacks into the bleachers at Fremont High School. While her relentless attack tends to steal the spotlight, her improved defensive work has shown as the 2017 season has progressed. With nine matches left to play, Vigil has already recorded eight double-doubles and has reached the mark of 20-plus digs on two different occasions this fall.

Maddi Vigil Double-Doubles (as of Oct. 23, 2017)

Date	Opponent	Kills	Digs	Sets
10/20/17	vs. Simon Fraser	11	20	4
9/30/17	vs. Saint Martin's	13	15	3
9/28/17	vs. Seattle Pacific	21	18	5
9/15/17	vs. Alaska	18	22	5
9/8/17	vs. Notre Dame de Namur	10	10	3
9/7/17	vs. Point Loma Nazarene	17	13	3
9/2/17	vs. Bemidji State	10	10	3
9/1/17	at Minot State	12	13	3

 

Though the numbers jump off the page for a first-year college player, Vigil's season hasn't been one without trial and a test of patience. The youthful Yellowjackets, who are without a senior, have often times found themselves staring in the face of veteran-laden squads in the extremely competitive GNAC. MSUB has taken on four nationally-ranked opponents – including two in the top-10 and last year's NCAA Division II national runner-up Alaska Anchorage – in its last dozen matches, but Vigil and her teammates turn their focus towards the long building process when the results don't coming out in their favor.
 
"If we all keep working as a team we are going to be really good in the coming years," Vigil commented. "We are such a young team, and this year has been more about getting to know each other and learning how to play together. It is hard going against teams who have been together for multiple years, but we know that is going to be us in a year or two."
 

Trying to find the positives during periods of frustration has been a big emphasis for Vigil, and when she needs a boost in inspiration she turns to her two biggest role models in her older brothers. Nick Vigil – Mr. Perfect according to Maddi – had eight tackles in Sunday's 29-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the 24-year-old made his sixth start of the year at linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals. Mondays are usually when Maddi calls Nick and her oldest brother Zach Vigil (26) of the Buffalo Bills for an update on the past week. 

"They set the bar very high from a young age, and they are my biggest role models," Vigil commented. "They have really helped me get from an individual sport (tumbling) into being a good teammate. After tough games I usually call them and they always ask, 'what would you do without volleyball?' They help keep me in check and are very motivating."
 
The Yellowjackets are preparing for a road trip to Seattle this week, where they'll take on Saint Martin's University on Thursday and Seattle Pacific University on Saturday after Tuesday's clash with Rocky. With the second half of the league schedule underway, Vigil and the team are focused on repeating their highs of the season like a 3-0 sweep of the Saints at home on Sept. 30.
 
"We figured out a lot about ourselves in that game, and realized we could beat good teams," Vigil said when asked about her top moments of the 2017 season. "We know we can compete with the teams in our conference."
 
After excelling with Club V in Woods Cross, Utah, Vigil garnered a handful of looks from collegiate programs. The 5-foot-9 outside hitter had her heart set on an NCAA program, and wanted a chance to keep her position despite a slight height disadvantage. Ultimately, remaining relatively close to her family and having a chance to help build a young team from the ground up as an outside hitter is what led Vigil to the navy and gold.
 
"We knew pretty early on in the recruiting season that we needed an outside that had the ability to be a 'go-to,'" said Williams. "I watched Maddi play at a couple of club tournaments this past spring and I knew she could be one of those players. Her athleticism was the first thing I noticed, followed closely by her competitive attitude. We knew those would be traits that would fit in well with our program."
 
Vigil still returns to the Northern Star Bounders, the tumbling organization owned by her cousin Kathy Valdez that built the foundation for her athletic career. Gone are the days of her tumbling competitions, which consisted of three separate routines including a compulsory pass, a long pass featuring eight different skills, and a short pass with five skills. Now her role has adapted into teaching beginners – girls ages 3-7 – how to get absorbed into the sport that molded her into one of MSUB's top athletes. "I grew up in that gym, and I've never really left," Vigil said. "It is like a second home."
 
With 240 kills and counting this fall, Vigil's career trajectory is one that projects her to become the ninth player in school history to reach the 1,000-kill mark. Pairing her competitive edge with an unwavering drive for success, nothing stands in the way of Vigil achieving her personal goal of being in the top-10 in the conference in hitting throughout her career.
 
That's the individual standard she wants to set, but the most important thing on Vigil's radar is a trait she has been developing since trading tumbling and trampoline flips for smashing leather into hardwood. "We are determined to win more games than we have been, and next year I think we are going to do that," Vigil said. "We are still young, but with the talent we have we are going to be quite good."