Olivia Rauh '25 Recruiting Profile

I have always dreamed of playing volleyball my whole life. In 5th grade I joined a volleyball club and that’s when I knew that volleyball was the love of my life. In 6th grade I made the varsity team for my school and to the end of the season I became the starter. For the rest of middle school my school stopped offering sports all together but I didn’t give up. I joined clubs and when they ended I practice for 2 hours everyday. Freshman year I had enough so I joined another schools volleyball team, gulf high school. There I learned how to do more then just hit a ball against a wall. Drills that made the team come together and learn together, it was the happiest I had ever been in my life. Being on the court helped me overcome so much turbulence in my life, I forget Al troubles and play my heart out every game. Even when I was sick or injured I knew my team needed me so I tricked through it. I would listen to my teammates troubles and always be there for them. When the season ended I went right back to practicing for 2 hours every day. My sophomore year I tried out for gulf again but because my school now had a team of there own I couldn’t play for them, it hurt me so much because I was feeling like I was being left behind and that I had lost everything. I would have left my school to stay in gulf but I thought I would give the panthers a try. It was rough and we didn’t really have a coach, so I ran practices. I would run drills, I would do personal training, and I would stay up late preparing for games. I would meet up with players for one on one training, but the only problem with this new team was that I had a lot on my shoulders. I was the one they would look up to, so I tried my very best to be supportive but stern. After every game on the bus back home I would talk to a player individually about how they played and how they could improve. I learned so much from coaching and playing on a team, it taught me that there is no I in team. After the season ended I have been practicing by myself trying to get into a volleyball club. I believe I can be a great candidate because of my dedication to the game and my teammates. Coaches have called me easy to coach and a quick learner. During the season I had to balance my school work and sports and it wasn’t easy, but I got my work done and good. I would study while watching my opponents past volleyball games and studying them. I’m not to sure what I wanna be when I’m a full adult but I think I have an idea. If you are interested in me then please give me a chance, you won’t regret it!