Acevedo is from Nampa, Idaho and played her freshman year at Oregon
A redshirt freshman outside from Nampa, Idaho, Alex Acevedo transferred to Minnesota after spending her freshman year at Oregon. As a rookie, she did not appear in any game action. She graduated high school in only three years and enrolled at UO a year before she originally planned. Acevedo was the 2022-23 Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year. In her final year of high school, she led the Skyview Hawks (22-5) to their third consecutive 4A state championship.
GS: When you were a kid, were you always into volleyball or were there other sports that took your attention? AA: My mom (Nada) played college basketball and she was pretty persistent that I would play that. When I was little, I tried every sport though. I did karate, gymnastics, basketball and more. When I was in second grade, she put me in a YMCA volleyball league and I loved it. I then quit basketball and ended up sticking with volleyball and track, which I also did for a long time. My first year of travel club in volleyball was when I was 10. I have loved playing the sport ever since then!
Alex with her mom, Nada, dad, Eric, and brother, JovanGS: Tell us about your family, it seems like you are all very close. AA: So my mom moved from Serbia to the United States for college. She played college basketball at Southern Oregon University. She had only played one year of organized basketball before college and became a two-time All-American at SOU. One thing about her too is she speaks five different languages, which is pretty amazing. She met my dad during their years in college and got married shortly after. My brother, Jovan, loves to run. He's a cross country and track and field guy. He also loves to travel and explore - he never missed one of my club games growing up. I would say he's very social and he takes after my mom there. We're very close and our relationship has really grown over the past five years. He has autism, so growing up I was a big part of helping with that, whether it was occupational or physical therapy.
GS: How old were you when you knew you wanted to play in college? AA: I always kind of assumed that I would play a sport in college. I thought it would be track for awhile when I was in middle school. When I was 12 years old I started gravitating to volleyball more and knew that was where my future was. I ended up getting some early interest and committed to Oregon when I was 13.
GS: You committed at 13?! What was that commitment process like? AA: I grew up a huge Oregon fan. I grew up there so we would go to all the Ducks games. They recruited me before the rule change, and it was either I go and make a decision then or we wait another 4-5 years. I just decided to do it early. Oregon wanted me, so I was ready to get it done with.
Alex and her brother JovanGS: Did you feel any extra pressure being the seventh grader who was already committed to a Division I school? AA: I knew people were going to talk. It's hard as a middle schooler to not hear that. 'She's going to burn out in five years,' was something I heard. I don't know what to say, they wanted me and I was ready to commit. There was pressure more when I was 16 and more people were getting recruited, just trying to prove I was as good as I thought I was.
GS: Tell me about your hometown and where you grew up. AA: I spent my high school years in Nampa, Idaho after my family moved from Oregon. Nampa is around 100,000 people and it's located outside of Boise. It's more on the rural side with plenty of farmland. My high school was still a decent size with 1,300 students.
GS: Looking back on your high school career, what are some of your favorite memories? AA: Skyview was the high school I went to and it is historically a really good volleyball program. Being a part of that team and culture, I had such an awesome time and met some of my best friends there. We won a state title and that was amazing. Our team also played in a GEICO Showcase on ESPN my junior year. Being a small-town Idaho school, that wasn't exactly common, so I'd say that was memorable too.
GS: Did your family end up moving to Idaho for your high school career? AA: My mom can live anywhere in the Northwest and be fine and my dad owns a business in Oregon. It was mostly for my brother. Over COVID it was hard with the whole online school thing and he wasn't getting the support he needed. We had to pick somewhere that would help him out more and he could go to school in person. I was excited to move though. I wanted to experience something else and I had a great experience living in Idaho.
GS: You graduated high school in three years and started training at Oregon in what should have been your final prep year. What was that experience like? AA: I had originally planned on coming into college a semester early, which is pretty common. But I had the opportunity to finish my high school credits and come to Oregon a year early instead. I knew it would be good for my development and my future in the sport. The team was very good and made the Elite Eight. There were a lot of fifth and sixth year players there that really helped me and showed me how to be successful at the collegiate level. I obviously redshirted but I was doing well during the year and my stats were exactly where we wanted them to be in practice.
Alex was a black belt in karate as a kidGS: After the spring season you eventually decided to put your name into the transfer portal. What was that process like? AA: I decided to enter a day before the portal closed. I went to practice that morning and then didn't make up my mind until the afternoon that I was going to do this. I told my team the next morning and I was really sad of course. After that it was crazy, I was getting so many phone calls and emails. I was on the phone from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. that day. It was nerve-wracking because I was initially worried that teams wouldn't have any spots open. I think I decided to transfer on a Monday and then by that Thursday I was on a plane for a visit. I took six visits before making my final decision. I just wanted to be very thorough with my decision-making.
GS: With your next step, what were the most important characteristics you were looking for in a school? AA: I was looking for the school that was the best fit for me. I took so many visits so I could experience a day or two at each school and try to envision myself there. I wanted to choose a school that would be competitive at volleyball as well.
GS: What put Minnesota over the top for you? AA: I was at dinner the first night with [head coach] Keegan [Cook] and [associate head coach] Kristen [Kelsay]. At that point, I had been on four visits so far and a lot of the dinners were routine. We would do some volleyball talk, some small talk, etc. Keegan was asking me some deeper questions right out of the gates about life and my family and I really appreciated that. They did a lot of research on me and I felt like they really wanted me here. It was hard to find any negatives about Minnesota, no red flags at all. It felt like the place for me. I loved seeing the school and the campus too.
GS: Have you been able to meet with and start to build relationships with your new teammates so far this summer? AA: I knew Kate [Thibault] from our time at Oregon last year. We were super close at there so it was helpful having a familiar face here. Stella [Swenson] was my tour guide for the visit, so she was the first one I really spent time with. But so far this summer we've done a lot of full team bonding, which is really refreshing. I've gotten to spend time with a lot of the girls.
GS: What are some of the team bonding events that you have all done together this summer? AA: We'll just hang out together a lot at each other's apartments. It's a crucial time to get to know each other right now. I really want to go to the Mall of America, so I'll need to go there with the team. I've never lived in a big city before, so I'm excited for all it has to offer.
Alex on her visit to Minnesota this springAlex and her brother growing up in IdahoGS: In terms of goals for the season, what do you want to achieve for both yourself and the team? AA: I want to achieve the highest level of play that I can to help the team win. I want to have four great years here and have the most fun I can. This is a very capable team and it's going to be a fun group to play with this year.
GS: For someone who hasn't seen you play before, how would you give a scouting report on yourself? AA: I feel like I'm well-rounded and I can play everywhere on the court. Personality-wise, I've been told before that I don't always look excited when I'm playing. People ask why I'm not screaming and jumping around. Internally, I am thrilled, but I just come off as more stoic with my expressions. It's not like I'm being negative, I just feel like it brings a calming energy and presence. I will always encourage my team and communicate in the huddles, but I'm not the type that jumps around like crazy.
GS: Who are you most looking forward to playing against this year? AA: Oregon and Wisconsin.
GS: What do you like to do off the court? AA: I love to go on walks with my dog. When I lived in Bend, Oregon there were great trails there to walk on. I also love to bake. I love being around people and I'm pretty easy-going. My brother and I used to spend a lot of time at the waterpark when we were younger too.
Rapid Fire:
Favorite Food: Yellow Beef Curry
Fun Fact: I know the full lyrics to a lot of Eminem songs
Hidden Talent: I have a national championship in karate
Favorite Sport to Watch: Track and Field
Favorite Pro Sports Teams: Dallas Mavericks
Favorite Vacation Spot: Isla Mujeres, Mexico
TV Shows: F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Suits
Biggest Inspirations: My mom
