Nya Griffin-Ulibarri '15 Recruiting Profile

My name is Nya Griffin-Ulibarri and I am a 5’11” Right Side Hitter in the class of 2015. I play for Saddleback Valley Volleyball Club on 17-1-Tyler. I attend Tesoro High School (Las Flores, CA) where currently I have a 3.8 GPA.

I was born in Harbor City California and spent my first 7 years living in Hawthorne, CA.  My parent sought to move to a neighborhood where I could attend academically strong public schools.  So we moved to Ladera Ranch, CA, where I attended Elementary and Middle School.

I am working hard now to be prepared for college-level studies.  I am already in my fourth year of language (Spanish), taking 4 AP classes, and I currently have a B in Calculus.  I want to earn a science degree in college, preferably in Biomedical Engineering.

As far as athletics go, I have been playing volleyball since the summer of 2011—just entering my third year of club volleyball.  Prior to that, I played soccer for five years, three of which were played at club level.

My first volleyball experience was signing up in the summer of 2011 at a high school volleyball camp for incoming freshmen.  I quickly adapted to the game and earned a spot on the Tesoro High School Frosh/Soph A team as a middle blocker.  I made a name for myself as a strong defensive player, earning plenty of blocks per game and for my defensive explosiveness with digs.  I went on to earn Most Improved Player at the end of high school season.

I also started playing club volleyball in the fall of 2011, earning a spot on Saddleback Valley Volleyball Club’s (SVVC) 15-3s team, coached by Amanda Donaldson.  I continued to improve and was a dominant player at Volleyball Festival in June 2012.

In the summer of 2012, I made the Tesoro Junior Varsity team.  My impact as a middle blocker continued and I once again earned Most Improved Player honors.

In the fall of 2012, I earned a spot on SVVC’s 17-1s team, coached by Christy Stoeckel, skipping the 16s age group.  But with player shortages on the 16-1s team, I was asked to move to the 16-1s team, coached by Brian David, to help that team for the season.  We went on to compete in Division 1 in SCVA tournaments and finished 23rd overall in Open Division at AAUs in Orlando Florida June 2013.

My junior year of high school was also the beginning of my Varsity volleyball career.  I played as a blocking specialist, leading my team in blocks coming off the bench.  In our wildcard playoff game, I led the team in kills and blocks.

Currently, I am playing in my third year at SVVC, earning a spot on the 17-1s team, coached by Tyler Hagstrom.

I am continuing my progress, focused primarily on becoming a dominant Right-Side hitter.  I want to become a versatile player as well—one who can play back row, set, and be an offensive force.  Most importantly, I want to be a team leader and help provide stability and emotional strength for my teammates.