Lauren Wentzel '21 Recruiting Profile

I grew up watching my mom play sand volleyball, and back when I was a toddler it was just fun to play in the sand and build sand castles along side the court on the beach. As I grew, I started to notice how small changes in your platform could shank even the easiest of balls. I watched how crazy one arm digs or saves still had to have some kind of technique behind it (unless you got really lucky). I saw how your teammate got beyond excited for you when you hit the ball 'straight' down. I wanted that. I wanted to play the game that my mom loved so much, and I hoped I would love it just as much as she did. When I was old enough I started to play beach with her, and of course I loved it (probably more than her). I couldn't get enough of it, I would make my mom drive 45 minutes multiple times a week so we could play pick up. When I entered middle school I started to play on my middle school indoor team, my seventh grade year, I'll admit we were not very good. We practiced hard though, and we went undefeated my eighth grade year. Being part of this team allowed for me to share my love of volleyball, and my competitive drive to win with people that would feel the same way. As high school came around I got the opportunity to play on varsity my freshman year. I loved every minute of it because I was being pushed by the older girls, which allowed for me to improve greatly. My sophomore year we won the district championship, for the first time in 21 years. I was apart of it and it was the best feeling to know that I helped bring this achievement for my team. I am working hard to be able to continue my volleyball journey into college and be able to bring my competitive drive to someone's team. I love the game and love to watch the game, I study it and put in the hard work that any coach would love to have on their team. Thank you for looking at my profile, reading this, and considering me to be apart of yours!