Zachary Zeng '25 Recruiting Profile

I am a 6'2” outside hitter from Surrey, BC, Canada, who can play on both the left and right side as well as the middle. As someone who goes to a school without a volleyball team, my path to immediate volleyball success was not carved out for me, but through perseverance I have and will continue to find a way. 

Academically, I’ve maintained mid- to high-90s in all of my classes while taking academically rigorous courses, such as accelerated math and Spanish in addition to AP courses. In addition to my high performance in the classroom, I aim to go above and beyond outside of school. My group for the NASA Space Apps Challenge was named a Global Nominee. Additionally, in the summer between grades 10 and 11, I attended Wharton’s Moneyball Academy and did a presentation on my research of volleyball serving statistics. Afterwards, I adapted my study into a full-length research paper, which was featured in the Fall 2023 edition of the Wharton Sports Analytics Journal (https://wsb.wharton.upenn.edu/wharton-sports-analytics-journal/2023-fall-edition/) along with university-level research in sports analytics. My academic journey represents my commitment to discipline and perseverance and not giving up when the first door closes. 

In terms of leadership, I co-founded our school’s chapter for the International Robotics Honour Society, a service-based initiative to elevate robotics and STEM participation. Over the past two years, I have led countless workshops for students whose school doesn’t have the resources to teach robotics and have taught over 500 kids from grades 4-7.

My volleyball journey hasn’t included the familiarity of a school gym and has been centered around club volleyball. While seemingly being a massive disadvantage, this has actually been a blessing in disguise. Playing club for the first time during a non-COVID year in grade 9, I didn’t see much playing time. Upon realizing that without putting in much more work than other players, I wouldn’t see the court, I did everything in my power to try to get ahead, whether that be practicing tirelessly by myself or improving my vertical in the gym. All my hard work culminated in a provincial championship in grade 10 and an invite to Team BC.

My goal is to play for and represent a school at the university level and to spend four more years of my life doing what I love and trying to fulfil my maximum potential as a volleyball player. In addition, I want to continue both my high-achieving academic journey and my research into volleyball analytics in university.