Riley Mello '22 Recruiting Profile

Hello! My name is Riley Mello and l am a 2022 outside hitter. I currently live in Minden, Nevada which is in the Carson Valley and just minutes away from Lake Tahoe. Growing up, I found a love for sport and competition through basketball. My dad coached boys basketball for years and I have developed a great understanding of the game. Even at 11 years old I was able to place 5th in the nation for the Elks Hoop Shoot and able to visit the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts with my family. It was at that moment when I realized that sports were not just for competition and a way to stay active, but they were an opportunity for the future.

When I entered Middle School, I decided to play other sports and I participated in Volleyball and Track and Field. I had never really played volleyball, so it was new and challenging. After my first volleyball game, I was hooked! From there, I continued to play multiple sports. When I was in 8th grade, I was invited to a basketball travel team in California, which represented a big change for me. In my hometown, everyone looked to me for leadership on the team and when I joined the travel team, my role and my coaching looked different and I even played a different position, this all taught me the importance of flexibility, being a team player and being coachable.

When I made the decision to focus more on Volleyball, I joined a local travel team and competed in Nevada and California. It was then that my love of the game began to grow and I have continued to work hard in order to perfect my skills. I started out as a middle blocker and was then moved to be an outside hitter. This was a new challenge, but I embraced it because I enjoyed learning a new position and reading the defense to adjust my hits. I remember someone asked me once, "What is your most favorite sport you play?" I thought about it and realized that it is whatever sport I am playing, because I am a competitor, I am an athlete.