Wake up. School. Practice. Repeat. This is the daily routine of a student-athlete, early mornings and late nights with homework and practice in between. Juggling grades and performance on the court is a struggle. Olivia Albrecht is just one of the many student-athletes here at Wheeling Park. Olivia started her volleyball career in the 6th grade at Bridge Street middle school, later that year she started playing for OVVC’s 12U team. Now, she is a four-year letterman for the volleyball team and a Wesleyan Bobcat commit. 

Throughout the past four years, Olivia had many accomplishments. She 

has earned  herself a few awards; the 2020 OVAC All-conference academic award, the 2021 OVAC All-conference 5A, and the 2021 Two Rivers Athletic Conference First Team award. Albrecht has dedicated nearly 8 years of her life to volleyball while trying to manage her grades. All of this caused her tons of stress, yet she learned how to handle it as she grew up. “I used to not be very good at doing that, but I definitely have gotten better just not trying to put a lot of pressure on myself.”  As all student-athletes do, they find time to manage staying on top of their work while playing their sport. Olivia tells me how she stays on top of everything, “I stay relatively organized so that helps me stay in line. I always set aside time to do my homework after practice before I do anything else.”

Albrecht’s coach tells me, “She is a hard worker, she uses every

opportunity to get her work done. Whether she’s in the stands, or on the bus, she’ll get it done.” She shows her dedication to her work, while still averaging 10 kills a game. Freshman, Madeline Bradshaw talks to me about how Olivia has influenced her, “I always look up to her and she has such a good mindset when playing volleyball.” Albrecht plans to attend West Virginia Wesleyan, and pursue a degree in biology to later go to medical school to get her MD.