- 2024 Highlights #2
Personal Statement
My name is Adele Kalnina, I am a 2027 beach volleyball defender from Riga State gymnasium no.2, Latvia. I am looking to play volleyball at a high level college because for me, both my academic and athletic performance is of the highest importance. Balancing high-level athletics and excellent grades has always been my highest priority. From a young age, sports has always been a significant part of my life, and it began with tennis which I played all through my childhood. Even though I started playing beach volleyball only in 2022, I have progressed quickly, for example in my first year of playing I placed 4th in National Latvian Championship U16 finals, and will continue to work hard in the sand to get even better. To enhance my level of play, I have also hired an individual strength and conditioning coach, starting from summer 2024 and I intend to keep her throughout following years. I am a determined, strong-minded team player with a great work-ethic, that can make fast decisions on the court and communicate well with teammates as well as coaches. I am also very competitive which has been my main drive in my sports career to always get better. I play with emotions, meaning that I celebrate every point that we win and I understand and learn from the mistakes that made us lose a point.
My biggest strength in volleyball is that I play smart, by that I mean - I don't always go to spike as hard as I can just because I can, I try to see what can I possibly do and where can I attempt to put the ball to win the point. I feel like this is a characteristic that most sets me aside from other players - I play with my head.
I have competed in National Latvian Championships in the ages U16, where i placed 4th at the end of the season (2023), U18 (2023,2024) and U20 (2024), placed 2nd in Amateur BV tournament (2024).
