ACU Volleyball’s Welch Follows in Parents’ Footsteps as Wildcat Student-Athlete

There was no tip-off or expectation for Misti and Duane Welch that their daughter, Hadlee Welch, would start in Abilene Christian volleyball’s Aug. 30 bout with Oklahoma.

Yet when the freshman outside hitter emerged from the tunnel at Moody Coliseum into a plume of fog and an entourage of flashing lights during the Wildcats’ pregame introductions, it was impossible for the parents not to experience a wave of emotion.

As Hadlee took the floor against the Sooners, she fulfilled a dream nearly 20 years in the making for Misti and Duane, who had front-row seats to watch her follow in their footsteps as ACU student-athletes.

“As a dad, I can’t lie to you, when she started that game, that was very, very emotional,” Duane said. “To watch her come out of that tunnel and the smoke blowing and watch her name up on the big TVs is pretty exciting and just a huge accomplishment.”

The Lubbock, Texas native comes from Wildcat roots, as her mother played volleyball at ACU from 1998 to 2001, while her father was a pitcher on the baseball team from 1998 to 2002. Hadlee’s connection with the Wildcats was, perhaps literally, formed at birth.

“It’s amazing,” the former Misti Germany said of watching her daughter compete at her alma mater. “It makes my heart so happy. The day she was born, I wanted her to play volleyball here at ACU. Of course, we had to let her make that decision, but I think God called her here.

“Whenever I was here, we were still in Division II. Just getting to see her on this stage and get to start as a freshman against OU … I got teared up several times.”

The experience was just as special for Hadlee, who earned her first collegiate start in front of more than 750 fans versus the first Southeastern Conference program to compete against the Wildcats in Abilene, regardless of sport.

“It was so awesome,” Hadlee said, donning the same No. 15 that her mother wore in college. “Especially just looking up to my parents with smiles on their faces knowing I was doing good. I loved it.”

Hadlee’s start against the Sooners set the tone for a dynamic first season that saw her earn Western Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team accolades. She amassed 114 kills in 28 matches, including five starts, to go with 36 blocks, which ranked fourth on the team.

Hadlee became a key contributor for a Wildcat team that made history with its most victories since 2018, its first WAC Tournament win and its first win in a conference tournament since 2017. ACU finished fourth in the regular season standings and developed its highest overall and conference winning percentage since the 2021 spring season.

The welcoming, faith-based nature of the ACU program appealed to Hadlee, where she has already played a significant role in the team’s upward trajectory.

“She loved the team, the Christian atmosphere and all the girls, she felt so welcomed, and so I was so glad that she chose here,” Misti said. “We’re glad that she saw the potential and what the team can do in the next few years, and just the campus, she fell in love with it, too.”

Hadlee’s rise to the collegiate level began at home. She grew up under Misti’s tutelage, a former outside hitter herself who was a three-time All-Lone Star Conference South Division First Team honoree from 1999 to 2001, leading the Wildcats in kills each season. While Misti coached Hadlee for a few club volleyball seasons, she can credit other aspects of her playing ability to Duane.

“It’s awesome, just carrying on the legacy,” the 6-foot-4 Hadlee said. “She taught me all the basics that I needed, so I kind of just got all my talent from her and height from my dad.”

While Misti guided ACU to a pair of 20-plus-win seasons on the volleyball court, Duane established himself as one of the conference’s top pitchers on the diamond. He received All-LSC South Division accolades as a freshman and sophomore while helping the Wildcats win over 40 games in each of his five years.

Misti and Duane agree that some of their fondest memories from their years at ACU tie back to the relationships they built and fostered as student-athletes.

“We have lifelong friends [from ACU], and for [Hadlee] to get that opportunity [is special],” Duane said. “She’s a freshman with all the upperclassmen. Just the way they gel, the way they pick her up, the camaraderie is absolutely amazing. She’s gonna take that way beyond ACU, so it’s pretty exciting to see that.”

That same emphasis on relationships and connection helped Hadlee navigate her path to ACU. She said watching the Wildcats’ 2023 victory over Texas Tech at Moody as a high school junior convinced her that ACU was where she wanted to take her talents.

“It was really awesome, just meeting all the girls and experiencing how [head coach Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup] coaches and how great an environment it is,” Hadlee said.

While Misti and Duane acknowledged their favorite in the race, they were also quick to recognize Hadlee’s freedom to make the decision on where to compete at the next level.

“We kind of wanted her to do her own thing,” Duane said. “Whatever happened, happened. Did we want her to go to ACU? One hundred percent, and it was definitely at the top of the list, but we wanted her to make her own decision. God led her to come to ACU, just like He led me and my wife to come here, so it worked out really good. It’s pretty exciting just to see it come full circle.”

Abilene’s West Texas proximity to Lubbock allowed for Misti and Duane to become familiar faces at Moody Coliseum throughout the 2025 season. For each kill delivered or opposing attack Hadlee blocked, the pair was right behind her in celebrating the Wildcats’ success. It afforded the parents the opportunity to revisit a place that not only left a lasting impact on their lives, but continues to do so for their daughter.

“I think ACU is such a special place,” Misti said. “It’s hard to explain unless you go here and you play a sport. She’s learning how special it is, and I can’t wait for her to see over the next few years just how special a place it is.”