Muncie Burris’ Lauren Nixon commits to Ohio University volleyball

MUNCIE, Ind. — Trying to navigate recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially difficult for Lauren Nixon.

The Burris junior talked to some coaches who decided to put recruiting on hold until the end of the NCAA season, which will conclude with the Division I championship on April 24 as opposed to December, like it usually does. Others told her that, since they haven’t been able to recruit in-person, they are going to stick with the list of prospects they had prior to the pandemic. On top of that, many are still trying to figure out which athletes will take the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA during this unprecedented season.

For Nixon, this created a number of issues. After spending a summer in the gym, Nixon isn’t the same type of player and doesn’t even play the same position she did as a sophomore at Burris. Now a setter, Nixon said she feels a lot of college setters will be urged to take an extra year of eligibility, which would make it even more difficult to land a starting spot. She also has had to rely entirely on sending video since college coaches have not been allowed to watch her in-person.