Niki Brencic '26 Recruiting Profile

It all started 8 years ago, when I stepped on the volleyball court. I fell in love immediately. And when I thought I couldn't love a sport more than this one, I got to try beach volleyball. My first time playing beach was when my coach invited me to practice with some older girls, during summer, while they were preparing for the nationals. And at only 11 years old, I just knew that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. After that summer, I decided to quit my first sport; rhythmic gymnastics, in which I won 4 national champion titles, and have been doing it since the age of 3, 5 hours per day, 6 times a week, in order to spend as much time as possible practicing volleyball. For the entire indoor season, I worked hard with only one goal in my head; be as ready as possible when beach season comes. And it paid off, my partner and I came in second in the Slovenian national championship, at the age of 12. I completely fell in love with the sport. I love the sand, the chemistry you get with your partner and the hard work we do every practice, for which I know always pays off at some point. And ever since then, up until now, I have played beach & indoor volleyball in France, where I have gained a lot of experience by playing on a much higher level, with teammates a lot older, and more experienced than me, and now my goal is to continue my beach volleyball journey in college in the US.

At the university, I crave to combine an excellent academic education with training beach volleyball in a team where breakthrough progress and result can be achieved. But so that these were not just loose wishes, I did a resilience test - during my four years schooling in France, where school lasts every day well into the afternoon and where, as a result, the majority of children do not manage to practice sports every day and can only combine occasional sports training along with school. But I do it! I combine daily training with the most demanding international school in the region. I get great results in school and I train every day, so I know it's possible. This experience made me better at organizing my work, making better use of limited time, and focusing clearly and decisively on achieving great results. But I always try to have fun along the way, it adds spice to life!

Mindset is an essential element on the field, so this is the anchor around which my academic interests spin as well. I want to study psychology and focus more narrowly on athletes’ winning mental processes.