The Long Road of Mason Woo: From Hollywood to South Orange
11/12/2025 10:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
"I was so engulfed in sports, so I never had time to even think about theatre," Woo said. "Hollywood was always like a distance thought. We never really visited it."
Mason and her siblings grew up in Montrose, Calif., only a half hour's drive from Hollywood. Then right before COVID-19 broke out, her family moved even closer, to Burbank.
"My parents were always focused on what was best for us," Woo said. "We weren't steered away from that lifestyle, but clearly my parents wanted us to be well-rounded and sports played a huge role in our lives throughout our childhood."
Mason's mother played tennis growing up, and both of her parents played in adult volleyball leagues, but neither played college athletics. Still, it was paramount to them that Mason and her siblings learn the essential character-building attributes that can only be taught through sports. Mason and her siblings got started early.
"Lacrosse was my first love," Woo said. "I played soccer too. Both my brother and sister were huge into lacrosse and I'd be out there running around the field with my little stick, while they were playing. I didn't even know what was going on. I was immersed in it though, and my love of sports in general really started from those early experiences with my siblings."Her love of volleyball, however, took some time to materialize. Her sister found an interest in the sport, and being immersed in that culture, while fostering her sister's career, began the interest for Mason. But her career didn't take off and rain awards and accolades down like so many other highly-recruited college student-athletes. Mason was good, and she knew it, but it took a long time before she would be considered a college prospect.
"I got into volleyball, I think when I was about 10… going into club," Woo said. "I had a really tough time getting into volleyball. I was always looking to skip practice. I hated my coaches. It was a rough start. By 14 I was ready to call it quits. I was always saying, 'This is not working… this is not where I want to be.  I'm not happy."
It took a sit-down conversation with her parents to change her mind.
"My parents were like, you're finishing… you're doing it," Woo said. "You put money, effort, and time in already. You have the skill. You can do this. So… I ended up pushing through."
As she got older, her road didn't get easier, but she was immersed in volleyball greatness around her. She played for Village Christian High School, which went on to win Regionals, States and CIF, and her club team, San Gabriel, was one of the best in Los Angeles. With so much talent on the teams, however, she was routinely relegated to a backup role. You see, at 5-foot-6, Mason Woo hardly fits the prototypical mold of a high-performance volleyball player.
"It always seem like I was overlooked," she said. "I was the little guy. I was doubted my entire career. It's been a main driving factor for my current success. I believe in myself, and I'm going to work my butt
on Signing Day
Mason started on the junior varsity level in high school. Already an established libero, her coaches wanted to move her to setter, because that's what the team needed at the time. They also thought the move would help her development.Â
"They said, you're going to need to use your hands as a libero, and I said no I'm not," Woo quipped. "Why are you moving me to setter? They persisted… trust me, down the line, you'll be better for it. Obviously, it paid off."
Mason got pulled up to varsity for the championship run late in the season and they saw great success. She was still a back-up, but she was learning from teammates that were all committing to Division I programs.
"I was so happy to be surrounded by the best on campus," Woo said. I was on the team with my sister, it was just super fun, and my coach knew what he was doing. I learned a lot of patience to wait for my time."
It was around that time that her brother's lacrosse career came to a premature end. A budding star, he was going to continue his career at Boston University, but had to quit the sport due to a spinal injury.  Additionally, the recruiting process wasn't going well for Mason, and she again considered quitting the sport.Â
"My parents wanted me to keep playing, so I learned to play for something bigger than myself," she said. "I was playing for my siblings, who at least in my brother's case, medically couldn't. It was the chance to be the first person in my family to go and play collegiate sports, let alone at the D1 level. It became an opportunity, I simply couldn't pass up. That one push, where my mom said, 'you are not quitting,' was what I needed."
TAKING THE NEXT STEPSeton Hall had just hired a new volleyball head coach, Shannon Thompson, who was eagerly looking to fill out her roster.
"I had a friend in California who knew her and reached out," said Thompson. "So, I looked into her, and I really liked that she played lacrosse. I thought that might give her a different edge, different than many volleyball players. Her work ethic, her passion, and her motivation for being a college volleyball player are what really stood out to me."
Finding quality volleyball players for Seton Hall wasn't the sole priority for Thompson in her first season. Bringing in the right people to help build a culture was essential and that's especially where Mason shined.
"I brought her to campus, and she just fit in really well with the girls we had," Thompson said. "Her visit was great. I remember spending a lot of time with her dad when the kids were on a team-bonding event, and it solidified my belief that this was a great family. I immediately knew that this would be a great fit, regardless of her volleyball prowess."
"I knew that Mason would come in, and bring the culture that I wanted," Thompson continued. "She'll have the grittiness, the hard work, the team-first mentality that we needed when taking over a program."
It came together quickly, and Mason became Coach Thompson's first recruit at Seton Hall.
"I remember talking to her on the phone and she was like it's going to be a lot of work, but I would love for you to be on my team, and I was jumping for joy," Woo said. All I worked hard for had officially paid off."
But, even when Mason got to Seton Hall, it wasn't all smooth-sailing. There was certainly an adjustment period.
"I was in culture shock," Woo said. "The East Coast lifestyle is go go go, and being away from family was really hard, so my freshman year had a lot of tears. I think the change was what I needed to grow though, and I think the culture shock helped me realize that the world isn't just Burbank. A thing I love about Seton Hall is being near New York and attracting so many internationals. It showed me that there's a world outside of the States. There was definitely a learning curve, but I wouldn't trade it for the world."
After two seasons in a mostly backup role for the Pirates, Woo's time finally came as a junior. Taking advantage of some unfortunate injuries to teammates, she was thrust into a starting role at either libero or defensive specialist. Mason Woo, the backup, perennial underdog, was now a starter at Seton Hall University, a Division I BIG EAST Conference volleyball program.Â
She flourished.
"It felt amazing to be out there regularly," Woo said. "Knowing that I was contributing to our successes as a team, and our coaching staff trusted me to take on such an important role was incredibly gratifying."
Mason made 25 starts as a junior and averaged 2.31 digs per set with 20 service aces, establishing herself as one of the better defensive players in the BIG EAST Conference. On one memorable October afternoon, she erupted for a career-high 23 digs against Marquette in Walsh Gymnasium.
A month later, however, facing the Golden Eagles again, Mason injured her knee. Although she toughened out the remaining two matches on the schedule, even collecting another 20 digs at Georgetown, she didn't feel the same. Surgery followed, and ultimately, her senior season was lost."I went from being a crucial part of the team last year, to just being a voice this year," Woo said. "That was hard. I cried a lot."
Mason was still a valuable part of the team. So valuable, that despite not being able to play, she was named a captain.
"The girls voted her to be a captain this year," Thompson said. "They all love her. She's been really good about helping teach the girls the ins and outs of the team, both on and off the floor. She has a 'coach's eyes.' She's grown tremendously as a person from freshman year to who she is now."
"I knew my role was to be a leader, whether it was through playing or with my voice, so even if I wasn't playing regularly, I knew I could still make a difference," Woo said. "Half of this team was new. They haven't seen me play. They're thinking, should I really trust this girl? It's been hard playing the role of the captain when you're not playing. You don't wake up one day and become a captain. It's been years of work and years of earning respect from teammates and coaches."
Woo didn't have to worry long about earning the respect from her younger teammates. They took to her immediately. Thanks to strong coaching and Woo's leadership, Seton Hall's large freshman class of seven newcomers has blossomed into one of the best new crops in the conference.
"It was hard at first, I often said to myself, 'I'm injured, how can I help this team?' Woo asked. "How can I use my voice to make a difference? I feel like my parents really instilled that leadership push for me. I had a lot of opportunities to be able to step in and be a leader. I attribute that to my parents, who always showed me what a role model is."
Regardless of whether or not Woo's future lies in the sport of volleyball, one thing is for certain, no amount of adversity will get in the way of her future success. She could've gone the Hollywood route, but instead, thanks to a push from her parents, and her love of competition, she grew as a player and a person… through sports.
"My passion is sports," Woo said. "This is where I belong."Â
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