Just thought you all would like to see the feauture story athletics did on me on the website!

Love, Anne


Olsen Leading Wolverine Volleyball Team

September 27, 2005

OREM, Utah – Two years ago, recently married—and recently moved to Happy Valley—Anne Olsen strolled through Utah Valley State’s Activity Center with no intention of playing collegiate volleyball.

It only took her one trip through the gym to catch the competitive desire.

Now, two years and two positions later, Olsen is starting and starring as one of the Wolverines outside hitters. Her quick ascent from not playing collegiate volleyball to team leader is evidence that hard work, determination and versatility pay dividends for a Division I athlete. Just ask Utah Valley head coach Sam Atoa.

“Anne is a perfect example of someone willing to give of herself for the benefit of the team,” Atoa said. “It’s good to have someone like her who can step in and play wherever she is needed.”

Olsen started her career at Mt. Carmel High School near San Diego and starred for her high school team as a setter. She created opportunities for her teammates to score and capture the spotlight.

After graduating, Anne moved on to play college volleyball at Cal Poly-Pomona where she was voted as the team’s “Most Inspirational Player” her sophomore season. There, she was switched to the back row and depended on as a defensive specialist.

She transferred to Utah Valley State with no intentions of continuing with her volleyball. She got married and moved to Utah County with her new husband, who was finishing his degree at BYU.

“I never thought I would play here,” Olsen said. “I walked through the gym and realized that I couldn’t stop playing volleyball so I went to talk with coach.”

The Wolverines are glad she decided to play. She entered her junior season playing primarily on the back row helping the Utah Valley defense. That was 2004, and the Wolverines had plenty of help hitting the ball in seniors Deise Borghetti and Alina Wallauer.

After 2004 ended, coach Atoa needed to find offensive help. He looked to Olsen as an experienced leader to help develop two incoming freshmen.

“I knew she would be productive,” Atoa said. “She hits the ball well and plays with a great amount of enthusiasm.”

Olsen was more than willing to jump into the new position and have a chance to lead the team.

“The other girls call me mom,” she joked. “I’m always trying to tell them what to do on and off the court.”

It wouldn’t be a bad thing if Olsen’s teammates looked up to her this season. Her enthusiasm on the court is evident, and she is second on the Wolverines with 127 kills this season.

Aside from her leadership on the court, Olsen has demonstrated a huge amount of determination to get to where she is at. During the off-season, Olsen understood that her team would be losing its top two offensive performers. She knew that she was in a position to step up. But, she also knew that she would need to dedicate herself to getting ready.

“Playing as a hitter is a lot more physically demanding than back row,” Olsen said. “I knew that I had to get into playing shape and improve my endurance during the off-season.”

Her workout regimen included—among other things—running three miles a day, four or five times weekly.

“Before I started running, I couldn’t run a mile,” she said. “But I worked harder than I ever had before and got to the point where running a couple of miles wasn’t a big deal.”

The conditioning and versatility landed Olsen in the starting lineup, where she is a vocal leader on the court while remaining soft-spoken off the court. She is enjoying the opportunity to shine.

“Finally after four years it’s good to be a starter,” Olsen said.

And if you ask her which position she likes better, the answer comes quickly.

“I definitely like the outside better,” she said. “It’s fun to have the attention and to be able to contribute the offensive numbers.”

The Wolverines are receiving the dividends of those offensive numbers. Atoa says he is thankful for having such a versatile player that can put the numbers up.

“We definitely couldn’t do it with out her.”