Sarah Elliott '25 Recruiting Profile

Hi!!

I'm Sarah Elliott, I play indoor volleyball for school and club, but I am predominantly interested in playing Beach Volleyball throughout my four years of college. I began indoor swimming around 11 years old after being introduced to the sport by my older brother, who was playing in college in Boston, and has gone on to play abroad at Newcastle University and on the Sunderland Pro Team. 

Although I was first interested in spending time with my brother, our coach Quan Ngyuen, founder of Quandomania VBC, taught me the techniques, the strategies, and the love for playing just to play. I have always had a competitive aspect to my character and winning is a huge want for me -- I push myself to win; however, playing to improve no matter the outcome has been an important lesson I've learned over the years at Quandomania. 

I started training for the beach at age 13. Before I started I was warned. I was warned that it was hard -- difficult to move, difficult to play with just two people on each side -- what no one warned me of was how quickly I would fall in love with it. I play in Point Pleasant GAV Tournaments almost every weekend and as many AVP events as possible. With this, my love for the beach is far more than I ever imagined. 

Vision is an important aspect of my play, as I work on it every day. Vision was taught to me by Quan, where we look ahead of the ball, at the player, to see the movie being made in order to read the player easier. This skill is something I will always have to work on, as everyone does, but it's a skill that I believe many people aren't taught as thoroughly as I was. 

Beach Volleyball has become the center of what I love to do. To me, it isn't just another type of volleyball, it's a whole different game. I love how I get to touch the ball on 99% of the plays -- it's thrilling, and it's a game where there is more than just the physical game - there's a mind game being played as well. Using your knowledge of the court and player's habits, as well as using your vision to see what places are open, are probably the reason I love it so much. You don't have to just play, but you have to think to win as well.