University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Outside/Opposite
/ Volleyball
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Know the Newcomers: Sydney Schnichels
7/5/2023 9:00:00 AM | Volleyball
An early enrollee in the spring, Sydney will be a freshman this fall
Sydney Schnichels is a true freshman outside/opposite from Willmar, Minn. She enrolled at Minnesota in the spring of 2023 and competed with the team all semester leading up to her freshman year in 2023. She was an Under Armour All-American and a First Team All-State selection last season.
GS: How did your volleyball journey start when you were young?SS: My mom played in college and has always loved the game and passed it along to me, it's been a part of my family. One of my aunts played at Denver University and the other played at Bethel. I remember just playing pepper with my mom and aunts at our house and just having fun. In the fourth grade I started playing for one of the Willmar teams and immediately knew that was what I was supposed to do. Basketball quickly went into the background, volleyball was my true love.
GS: Did your family always encourage you to play volleyball or did you find your way on your own?
SS: I think my mom encouraged you to play because I think she knew that I would enjoy it once I started playing it. I think my family just kind of expected to me play because my cousin also played. When I started playing, they were all super excited. It's just so big in my family.
SS: I was born in Maple Grove, Minnesota and we moved out to Willmar until I was four. Then my family moved out to Knoxville, Tennessee until I was like six or seven and then we moved back. One of my mom's sisters lived in Tennessee and we wanted to move out there. My dad went to work in my uncle's ministry, he felt called to work there. But things changed when we were there and my family felt called to come back to Minnesota. My two younger siblings (twins) were born and we wanted to be closer to my grandparents.
GS: You have four siblings, how would you describe your relationship with them?
SS: We definitely have a close-knit family. I'm super close with my sisters even though we have an eight-year age gap, they definitely look up to me a lot. Growing up I was closer to Jackson, he's a little closer in age to me. But as I've gotten older, I've gotten closer with Cooper and we have a great relationship. Whenever I'm home, we all hang out together and it's super fun. They're all athletes too, Jackson (16) and Cooper (13) play football and basketball and Brooklyn (10) and Bailey (10) are gymnasts right now. I hope they transition back to volleyball but we'll see what happens!
GS: Transitioning back to your volleyball career, when did you really start taking the sport seriously?
SS: I had the goal to play in college ever since I first started playing. Once I got to around sixth and seventh grade is when I started taking it very seriously. I tried out for Minnesota Select 13 1's when I was 11. I ended up making the freshman team as a seventh grader and I played all the time. I just needed time to grow into my body. I made the 13 1's and it gave me the confidence that I could play at a high level.
GS: When did you start getting recruited to play in college?
SS: I got an email from a college when I was in middle school, so it gave me a glimmer of hope that my dreams are attainable. My dream was always to be a Gopher. I wanted to be the next Stephanie Samedy and that hasn't changed.
GS: What did you like so much about watching Samedy play?
SS: I remember watching her play when she was a freshman and just loved seeing her get better and better every year. I would model my game after her and study how she would do certain things. My dad would rewind the games and we'd watch film of the Gophers games so I could try to emulate what they were doing.
GS: How did your recruitment process with the Gophers go?
SS: They invited to a prospect camp that actually didn't end up happening because of COVID. They came and watched me play at AAU Nationals and we stayed in contact, then I came to visit on an official after that. I ended up committing the day before school started of my junior year. I had taken a couple other visits, but I just knew this is what I wanted to do. I didn't want to wait any longer and I wanted to achieve my dream of playing for the Gophers. It was an awesome feeling. This is home and Minnesota is where I want to be. The legacy of Gopher volleyball and getting to play in front of my family and friends is just so exciting to me.
GS: So you were committed to the Gophers for over a year and then a couple weeks before signing day you were told there was going to be a coaching change. What was going through your mind at that point?
SS: That was a hard experience. No one was expecting that and that usually never happens. I'm thankful we got a heads up on that to give us the opportunity to go a different direction if that's what we wanted to do. I just prayed on my decision and always felt that this is where I wanted to be. It was a lot of talking with my family and thinking about what would be best for me. I leaned on God the whole time and always felt like this was the plan for me and I wasn't going back on it. Thankfully it all worked out because I love it here and the coaching staff is awesome.
GS: You decided to enroll early and come to Minnesota in the spring of 2023. How was that adjustment to college volleyball in your first few months?
SS: I knew coming in that it would be a big change. The difference in skill level alone is crazy and then adding the academic side as well. It was literally a three-day transition from me being a high school student to going to college. It took a lot of stepping back and realizing that this was going to be more to handle. I just took things one day at a time and there was going to be some good and some bad. I am just focused on staying dedicated to the process and seeing what worked best with school and volleyball. I know I'm supposed to be here and I'm trying to keep the confidence, but that can be tough when you're making so many changes and everything feels kind of awkward.
GS: How thankful are you that you did come in the spring instead of the fall?
SS: Oh my I'm so thankful for it. I've been thinking about that for the past few weeks, like what if I waited until the summer? I would've had no time with coaches until August and then the season comes so I am glad I had the first part of my growth process in the spring. On the academic side it's nice to know how things work and knowing what to expect a little bit more.
GS: How have you gone about building relationships with the new coaching staff, both on and off the court?
SS: They all have different ways that they do things, which I really appreciate. Keegan will go out of his way to call us or make conversation with us after practice just to get to know us more. Kristen, Ky and Eric, we'll go out for a walk or go for coffee. They've all done a great job at making me feel welcome. We've been building those relationships every day.
SS: I'm excited to finally live out my dream and have this experience with the girls. I'm looking forward to seeing the success that comes with putting in all the hard work that we have. We're going to grind together and dig deep. We want to win that first national championship in school history.
GS: What are fans going to be excited about when watching the team this year?
SS: We have so many new players and everyone brings something different to the table. We have a lot of fun personalities on the team that blend really well together. We're very well connected and there's going to be a lot of positive energy.
GS: When you're not playing volleyball, what do you like to do?
SS: I'm very close with my family, so I love spending time with them. My grandparents live on a lake in Spicer, so I love getting out there and tubing, water skiing and wake surfing. I also like to shop and hang out with friends. I play a lot of pickeball as well.
Favorite Food: Steak or Fettuccine Alfredo
Fun Fact: I have size 14 feet and my uncle played in the NHL
Sport to Watch: Basketball and Hockey
Pro Sports Team: The Chicago Bulls (big Michael Jordan fan) and Minnesota pro sports teams
Vacation Spot: Cancun, Mexico
TV Shows: Outer Banks
Inspiration: Former Gopher Samantha Seliger-Swenson
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