Alex Hobbs is a junior soccer player hailing from Sammamish, Washington. She has appeared in 18 games over the past two seasons. Hobbs earned WCC All-Academic honorable mention as a sophomore, and as a freshman and sophomore she was named to the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll while being named a Pepperdine Scholar-Athlete.
 
We caught up with Alex to discuss the upcoming season, her decorated club career, and what it's like to be Tik-Tok famous:
 
Q: Looking back over the last year and a half, you were at the end of your freshman year when COVID-19 hit and wiped out your summer training for your sophomore season. How did the pandemic force you to adjust as both a soccer player and as a person?
 
A: When COVID first hit, it was hard for all of us. We went from working out every day to not even being able to go to the gym. During that time, at least for me, it was a lot about finding myself. I was one of the first people back on campus last fall – as soon as they let us back on campus, I was here training. Having that mental game and sticking with it was crucial. Mentally, I'm much stronger now than I would have been had COVID not hit.
 
Q: Can you talk about the dynamic of your team, the dynamic of the coaching staff, and how you all were able to form camaraderie throughout a pandemic with the uncertainty of whether you'd have a fall season or not?
 
A: Our team is very close – we call each other sisters and as much as that's a joke, it's very real. During the pandemic we did weekly Zoom calls and those helped us stay together with the same goals and mission.
 
Q: When were you and your teammates allowed to be back on campus after originally being sent home in March 2020?
 
A: We were allowed to be back on campus about 11 months ago (September 2020). School started in mid-August and athletes were allowed back on campus in September. Those living off-campus weren't allowed to move back until a month and a half later due to COVID regulations. Even this year still feels a little weird, but it feels the most normal it's been this past year.
 
Q: Last school year, your fall season was pushed to spring. What have the last few months been like, having an NCAA-sanctioned season in the spring, a summer to regroup, and a normal fall season?
 
A: Our bodies are feeling it. In a normal season, usually the spring is where we lift more, do more fitness activities, and get our bodies prepared and healthy for the upcoming season. Having that break cut down from almost a year to a couple months has been hard on our bodies. I'm really impressed with the girls; I'm proud of everyone coming in so fit this year – everyone did phenomenal on their fitness tests. That shows the drive we have as Waves and I'm very proud of all the girls.
 
Q: You're now going into year three and have played in 18 games over the last two years. Where do you see the biggest growth in yourself as a college soccer player from freshman year until now?
 
A: I've grown the most mentally. I came into college at 17. Now I'm 19, not even 20 yet going into my junior year. Obviously, I'm still growing, but our coaching staff is very keen on developing women of character, and I think they're doing just that. My soccer abilities have certainly grown since I've entered college, but the coaching staff's mission is to make us better humans and build women of character and I think they've done just that.
 
Q: You're not only going into year three as a college athlete, but you're about to start your third year as a college student as well. After two years in Malibu, what have you enjoyed the most about your time at Pepperdine?
 
A: Originally, I committed here – it was kind of crazy, I committed my senior year very late, and I remember walking on campus and feeling that this was the right choice. It was a gut feeling. The thing I tell all recruits when they come and ask questions about what my favorite part of Pepperdine is that it's the people. Even people that aren't athletes here, the people I've met are truly some of the most genuine people I've ever met and that family atmosphere – whether you're a student-athlete or not – is truly here at Pepperdine. Being away from family is hard since I'm super close with my family but having genuine people who are there for me has made a huge difference.
 
Q: You're a sport administration major. What do you hope to do with this degree once you graduate, and what would be your dream job?
 
A: Before I came to college, I was practicing with the professional soccer team in Seattle (Seattle Reign) and was making a lot of connections with them. I would like to pursue playing professionally, whether in Europe or here in the United States. Making those connections I realized how small the sports world is and I realized that I could make a living doing this. Talking to professors, I realized I'm very personable and that's important in a sport management or agent position, which is something I'm interested in. Ned Colletti, a professor of mine at Pepperdine – and former Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager as well as current San Jose Sharks scout – put us in contact with a ton of people in the industry and helped guide us to the specifics of what we want to do. I want to stick to sports, either playing or managing them.
 
Q: You got a taste of playing in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman, going down to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech. What was that experience like, and what is it going to take this fall from you individually, and from your team, to make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament and compete for a national championship?
 
A: As much as this COVID year has been tough on all NCAA athletes, it's made our team hungrier. We're very driven and we know our mission. This year is going to be an exciting year; we have some seniors on our team that are excited to get back at it after a COVID year. I think we're hungry and I think everyone is going to see that this year.
 
Q: You may be one of the most popular Tik-Tokers on campus, and possibly even in the West Coast Conference. Can you talk about how it started, what it's like having half-a-million followers, and routinely getting over a million views on videos you post?
 
A: It actually happened in quarantine truly based off of boredom. My dad and I were messing around and decided to feed a squirrel in our backyard. That slowly snowballed into what it is now. This summer I got 500,000 followers but when I got back on campus for soccer I was less into the video-making of squirrels as there's a squirrel shortage on Pepperdine's campus. I love being around people, I love being around funny people, and a lot of the videos aren't even about me – they're of me with my friends. I post videos that make me happy, and I don't post just to post. I've honestly taken a break from TikTok. This whole year has been a really big growth year for me. It's been a crazy experience for me and one that I don't regret doing. I've posted some videos of the team and there's definitely more to come because we have some real characters.
 
Q: Did you feel pressure when it started to make more videos because people were interested in it?
 
A: I definitely felt a lot of pressure. Honestly, I think that's why I took this break because I thought for a little bit that I was posting just to post instead of posting something that I really wanted to post. The most successful videos were the ones I enjoyed making the most and the ones where I was with friends.
 
Q: You had a highly successful and decorated career playing on the club circuit, playing for Eastside FC, Washington Premier ECNL and the Seattle Reign. What did you get from those experiences and from playing against some of the best competition in the country before you arrived in Malibu?
 
A: I used to train with the professional team in Seattle, practicing next to people like Megan Rapinoe and Allie Long, both iconic women in sports. I was 16 when I first started training with them and Vlatko Andonovski, the head coach of the US women's national team. I learned that I wasn't the best, but that didn't make a difference because I was still digging, and I was there putting in the work. I played on a semi-pro team with a few first-round draft picks from a couple years ago – Morgan Weaver who now plays for the Portland Thorns, as well as Sam Hiatt who plays for the Seattle Reign. Playing with girls like that really helped me because I was 17 playing with them while they were 22. Nothing can truly prepare you for playing college soccer, but those experiences helped prepare me mentally. If I hadn't trained with those players, I wouldn't have come in fit enough to play college soccer. Pepperdine soccer demands a lot, and we give it. Being able to train at a high level with elite athletes really humbled me and prepared me for playing on a top 25 Division I soccer team with amazing women.
 
Q: What are some things that you enjoy doing outside of soccer?
 
A: I go to a lot of the sporting events on campus. I'm best friends with a lot of the athletes at Pepperdine as we're a very close-knit community. I also am at the beach every day and I'm trying to learn how to surf – I'm from Seattle so it's a little difficult. Most of my time I enjoy spending with friends doing different things. My grandparents also live here so I like to see them when I can.