Joelle Almuete '23 Recruiting Profile

I'm Joelle Almuete, 17 years old from Manila, Philippines. I started playing Volleyball when I was 11 years old for the middle school team of my school, De La Salle Santiago Zobel School. We played in the Women's National Collegiate Athletic Association (WNCAA), in the midgets division where we won Back-to-Back Championships. 

In 2018, my final year playing for the middle school team, I was voted Team Captain. This new role was a challenge that I had to master quickly. This was also an exciting time to showcase my leadership capabilities. We fell short in the finals getting the 1st runner up title, I won best opposite spiker for that season as well. 

In 2019, at 14 years old, I played in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the highest and most competitive tournament for high school and collegiate athletes, with only 8 participating schools. I played service specialist and libero. 

From 2020 to 2022, almost everything was put on hold but that did not stop me from training. I continued to work through online training with the team. In early 2022, I played for a club team, Seashore Beach Club. 

When my High School Team got back to face-to-face training in July of 2022, I was transitioned into the setter position when 2 of our senior setters graduated.It was a long journey with a handful of ups and downs, but I wouldn't be the person I am today without it. I'm truly thankful and wish to continue to play in the collegiate level.