Know the Newcomers: Phoebe Awoleye

Phoebe Awoleye is a transfer from Loyola Marymount and has two years of eligibility remaining. She played in 28 matches (104 sets) in 2022 at LMU, tallying 2.13 kills per set (.379 hitting) and 1.39 blocks per set on her way to First Team All-WCC honors. Awoleye helped LMU to an 18-10 (13-5 WCC) record last year as the team made the NCAA Tournament.

GS: Your bio says you're from Georgia, did you live anywhere else when you were younger?
PA: I was born in New York, but lived in Georgia from middle school through high school. I grew up in England and Nigeria before that. My parents are British-Nigerian and they met in England. My dad grew up in Nigeria more than he grew up in England. My mom is a little bit of both as well. They lived in England for 20 years and we grew up there for a bit before moving to Nigeria for a few years. I still consider Nigeria my home because we used to go there every Christmas, even when we lived in England.

GS: How many siblings do you have?
PA: I have three siblings - an older sister, Naomi, who's 25, and two younger brothers, Jonathan and David.

Awoleye, Phoebe — Phoebe and her family at her graduation party.

GS: Talk about your early childhood, were you always focused on volleyball or did you try other sports too?
PA: I did a bunch of sports, volleyball wasn't necessarily big in England. It was like track, swimming, tennis and soccer were the big ones. One of my friends in school was always talking about volleyball and I was intrigued by it. I signed up for a clinic before my freshman year of high school at Walton High School. I wore that shirt, which was my sisters, to the clinic. Even though I never played before, I met the head coach of Walton and she wanted me to come to tryouts. They put my on varsity my first year in ninth grade, not to play but just to train. I mean I could barely serve over the net. I was there doing my own thing on a separate court and never got in a game. I had to get a lot better.

GS: It sounds like you were literally starting from square one in your volleyball career in high school. What did you do to try and improve your game?
PA: I would go to A5 (volleyball club) and to workouts, camps and different training sessions. There was a crossfit trainer there that used to be a marine, and she threw me into the deep end physically to get me into as good of volleyball shape as possible. I could see myself starting to get better, and my serves would usually get over the net in early high school I was like a baby deer just running around and trying to get the ball over. It was definitely a struggle early on.

GS: When do remember starting to see yourself getting more comfortable on the court and that you were ready to compete at a higher level?
PA: I don't think it was a specific day, but it was when I was put in drills and I didn't feel like I was going to mess up all the time. My sophomore year I moved up in club teams and was playing with some of the top players and was feeling more confident. I guess my coaches saw something in me that I could be good, I just needed to keep putting the time in.

GS: When did you start to realize college volleyball could be a possibility?
PA: It was my sophomore year. I didn't even know what was going on, because my family had never had any experience with going to college for sports. My older sister went to college before me, but she wasn't going for sports so we really had no clue what we were getting into. A5 did a very good job helping me navigate the process and let me know what to expect. Georgia was my first call and it just felt comfortable with them. They were at the top of my list as it was close to home, a good school and good athletic programs. Everything just kind of lined up and I committed my sophomore year summer.

GS: After playing for two years at Georgia, you transferred to Loyola Marymount. How was your experience there?
PA: I loved it there and had a great experience on and off the court. Loved my coaches and it was such a fun season, we made the NCAA Tournament and I graduated in the spring. I got an internship working in sports there that is going to help set me up for after my volleyball career.

GS: What has been your best collegiate volleyball memory thus far?
PA: Definitely making the tournament last year at LMU. We were one of the last teams announced during the selection show and we were just super nervous hoping to hear our name called. Once we heard our name called it was such a great feeling to know that all of our hard work paid off and we accomplished the goal we set out to achieve.

GS: After the end of the year, you decided to enter the transfer portal, what went into your decision?
PA: I honestly didn't know what my future held after last season. Part of me thought I was done playing volleyball and wanted to move into the next step of my career. But I prayed on it and God told me to keep playing, and that's what I wanted to do. The coaching staff at LMU had left for different jobs, so it felt like the time was right to go.

GS: What were the top priorities you had in choosing your new school?
PA: It had to have the academic program I wanted, it was in a bigger city and it had to have a very good volleyball team.

GS: How did your recruitment to Minnesota go?
PA: I obviously know [volunteer assistant coach] Kylin [Munoz] as she was at LMU last year. I had met [assistant coach] Eric [Barber] before too and felt a connection there. I got connected to [head coach] Keegan [Cook] and then they wanted me to come take a visit. I had actually planned on taking five visits but after the Minnesota visit, which was my first one, I canceled the rest. I came on campus and met all the girls, coaches and trainer and it all just felt right. A lot of genuine people that care about you. Minnesota just had everything I was looking for, academically, socially and with it being in a big city. I called my mom two days after my visit and told her I'm going to Minnesota and she was super excited.

GS: What do you remember most about your visit that helped make your decision?
PA: I met [junior middle blocker] Arica Davis and just thought she was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing. But honestly I loved meeting all the girls and they were so welcoming and super easy to get along with. Me and [senior opposite/outside] Lydia [Grote] went on our visit together so we got to talk a lot about Minnesota too. She obviously committed a little bit later but I felt like she was coming to Minnesota too. It just had what both of us were looking for.

GS: You just got here last week, what're your early thoughts on Minnesota during the summer?
PA: Everyone has been super amazing, it's been so fun. We were all hanging out on Saturday. Obviously people are going to be closer to others but the seniors will text like 'come to my house at this time' and then we're all there hanging out. Even the first night I got here, I just turned 21 and it was my birthday, we all hung out at [senior setter] Melani's [Shaffmaster] place. Everybody was super inclusive and it was so sweet.

GS: What're you most looking forward to in your first year as a Gopher?
PA: I'm excited to play in the Big Ten and also for our preseason schedule. I'm excited to play at Stanford because I have some family out there coming to watch. Then of course getting to play Texas at home and all the talented Big Ten teams as well.

GS: What goals do you want to accomplish, both with the team and yourself?
PA: A Big Ten championship would be amazing, and then obviously a national championship would be the biggest goal. Individually I haven't really thought about that much. I just want to be a great addition and bring the extra stuff to the team that can help us win. I don't need to be a big name, but be a consistent and solid player that can help us achieve our goals.

GS: For people that haven't seen you play before, what's a scouting report on your style?
PA: I can get super amped on the court and the emotions start coming out. There's something about competing that brings it out of me. A lot of passion and a lot of blocks, that's my favorite thing to do on the court. I know that helps the team a lot too.

GS: What about off the court, what do you like to do?
PA: I'm a big foodie and I plan on trying a lot of restaurants here. I also love the NBA and was watching the NBA Draft. But besides that, I've been doing a lot of research in future careers and what that is going to look like for me. I also love to watch Marvel movies, especially the Spiderman movies. I loved the new one. I also have liked watching 'Love Island' on TV.

Favorite Food: Plantains
Fun Fact: My thumb is naturally double jointed and I can understand Yorùbá (Nigerian language)
Hidden Talent: I can binge Marvel movies and TV shows all day and night
Sport to Watch: Basketball
Pro Sports Team: Los Angeles Lakers (or whatever team LeBron James plays for) and Arsenal FC
Vacation Spot: Dubai
TV Shows: House of Dragons
Inspiration: My parents

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Know the Newcomers: Phoebe Awoleye

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