On the Court and Off: Maddie Misner

Carter Voss

Smashing, passing, and helping lead her team to multiple wins; Maddie Misner is a critical member to the Carbondale volleyball team. Being raised in a sports-oriented family, Maddie’s parents saw her potential to be an outstanding athlete and pushed her to be the success that she is today. Maddie has won hundreds of awards since the beginning of her volleyball career but remains humble. Maddie plays outside hitter, a position that requires high jumps, a strong arm and precision. Beginning her freshmen year, she has been captain of the varsity team, giving her the opportunity to lead.

On the court, Maddie is outstanding, but her success doesn’t stop there. Keeping a high academic standard had always been important, and so Misner took various honors courses which greatly prepared her for college. Because of her high academic achievement and playing skills, Maddie received an almost full tuition scholarship to McKendree University. Choosing a school was a difficult decision, but ultimately it came down to choosing a school where she would get playing time, be close to home, and remain academically challenged. Although her years as a Terrier are close to an end, Maddie’s success story doesn’t end here.  Most of us know her as Maddie, Mad, or Madz; she is well known in the Carbondale halls, but she is more than just a volleyball player.  

How is your season going?

“You know, it’s pretty good, we had a good win the other night, we beat Marion, which is nice. Yeah, you know, I think we are bonding really well out there. We are bonding really well which is nice, but yeah, it is going pretty good.”  

Who is the biggest asset to the team?

“Umm, I don’t really have an answer to that, I think team work plays a huge role in our success.”  

How many kills do you have so far?

“My whole high school career is over a thousand.”  

What is your current Netflix binge?

“So, I can’t really answer that, but I watch Riverdale, Gossip Girl, 90210, Last Chance You, there is a lot of things I watch on Netflix.”  

What do you do in your spare time?

“I watch a lot of TV; I really like watching Big Brother, when I’m not working on Environmental homework or watching TV, I’m probably playing volleyball.”  

What is your favorite after school snack?

“I really like sweet tea from McDonalds or a Slushee from Hucks.”  

Most of us know you are addicted to eating ice, chewy or cube ice? 

“ Umm I think, we have an ice maker in our house, but I think I like chewy better, it like melts in your mouth.”  

What is your favorite wing from Buffalo wild wings?

“I get the Boneless Sweet BBQ with salt and vinegar fries, but I think I like Applebee’s better; their sauce just taste better.”  

Coke or Pepsi?

“I think they taste the same, honestly I can’t tell a difference.”  

Sweet or Salty? 

“Ugh, you can’t do that to me, I like any type of food, I’m on a salt and vinegar craze right now. Like fries, I will eat any type of fries, I love fries. Nacho fries, McDonalds fries, BDubs fries, Applebee’s fries, Arby’s curly fries.”  

McDonald’s or Dairy Queen?

“Dairy Queen, duh.”  

Custard or ice cream?

“I think they are the same, I will eat anything so…”  

 Chocolate or vanilla?

“I will eat anything!”  

Where do you think you will go to college at?

“You know I’m repping the McKendre Bearcats right now, I plan on verbally committing there soon, I just want to go somewhere where I can play and help the team out; things may change, but I really like McKendree.”   

What do you consider most when picking a school? 

“I want to see myself fitting in, and I want a place where I can play my freshmen year.”  

What is one class you are most excited to take in college?

“Well none, I don’t love class, I don’t even know what classes to take. But I plan on majoring in education, so I’m excited to learn how to do that.”  

Who do you look up to the most?

“Definitely my mom, she is big role model in my life, she has been through things and she is just an influential person.”  

What is your biggest fear?

“Spiders or frogs.”  

What’s your favorite vine?

“That’s a very hard question because I love all vines but, Eyebrow on Fleek, finna get crunk, and then you wait a long periodically time. I love vines so much.”  

What’s your favorite meme?

“Probably the Cari B one, my momma said, those are funny.”  

What is your guilty pleasure?

“Umm probably cake, I like ice, I like sweet tea, I like vines.”  

What is on your Spotify playlist right now?

“So I go through phases with music, sometime I go a through country phase, and then sometimes I listen to some r&b and some rap. And then sometimes I will listen to some like Luke Bryan and then some Cardi B. Right now, I’m kinda between phases. I’m listening to kinda country kinda pop.”  

What is your favorite restaurant?

“ I don’t know, I like Fujiyamas, down in Cobden there is a place called Trails Inn, where you cook your own steak, I love love love that place.”  

What is your favorite candy bar?

“I like Twix or Snickers, honestly anything with caramel in  it.”  

Are you a country girl or city girl?

“Well, if you look at where I live you would think country girl, but I really don’t like the outdoors; I don’t like bugs, I’m not like in the city but I’m not super country. I do like to fish and hunt though.”  

What is the weirdest way you have ever heard your name pronounced? 

“When I was younger, I played on the rec league out here in Carbondale and my mom wrote my name on my shirt and it was a jersey and she put Misner but her s looked like a c, so it looked like Micner on it, so everyone called me Maddie Micner. And when I was doing track, they called my name to throw and they called me Maddie Miszner, you know there are a lot of way to say it but I never correct anyone I just go with it.”  

Maddison, Maddie, mad, or neither?

“I really don’t care it doesn’t make a difference to me, I like to be called Madison, I like to be called Maddie, I like Madz but no one ever calls be that so”  

Who can’t you live without?

“My parents, I couldn’t be the person I am today without them, I am a only child so they are definitely a huge part of my life.”  

Who is your favorite teacher at CCHS?

“Coach Lee, Dollins, Stanley. I have had them all as teachers and they have been big parts of my life.”  

What is one subject you struggle with?

“First semester Spanish 2, and English. I struggle with writing papers and reading, so English has always been a struggle.”  

What is one place you would go in the world if you had the chance? 

“I would go to space, that’s not in the world, but I want to go there.”  

What is your nighttime routine?

“I usually brush my teeth, wash my face, come into my room and I use to have to put my phone in the hall, my parents actually didn’t let me sleep with it, but now I can most of the time.”  

What is your midnight snack?

“Gummy bears or tootsie roll fruit flavors. Anything chewy and sweet makes a perfect snack, I keep gummy bears by my bed in case of an emergency.”  

Besides volleyball, vines, and eating, Maddie spends time with friends as much as she can. Although she doesn’t have any biological siblings, Maddie had made many friends as close as siblings on the court and in the classroom.