According to Marquette volleyball head coach Ryan Theis, senior setter Sarah Rose has charisma that goes beyond the volleyball court.
“The coaching staff wants us to be the best volleyball players we can be, but also understands that we should have the whole college experience,” Rose said in an email. “They see me not only as a student-athlete, but as a person who should experience all (that) Marquette has to offer.”
As the volleyball players are allowed to have a well-rounded relationship with the sport as as well as college life, their time on the court is made more special. Rose has even been able to utilize many different positions on the court in order to benefit the team.
“At different times her match sets have been very helpful,” Theis said. “Freshman year we would intermix her with another player depending on the matchup. She has been used in a variety of different situations and has been a valuable piece to us.”
Besides her composure on the court, she shows qualities that go beyond the sport of volleyball that will be seen long after her college athletic years.
“She is just a remarkable human being,” Theis said. “She is very logical, very bright and she has incredible common sense. Nothing really surprises you with her.”
The Elmhurst, Illinois native spends her time off the court helping other student-athletes with classes.
“I did well in a communication course that others struggled with, so I was asked to help some fellow athletes with the material,” Rose said. “Having benefited from working with tutors myself, I thought it was important to help out other athletes.”
As her leadership skills are displayed through tutoring, she has also been using those same skills to motivate her teammates this season despite the lack of normality.
“Last offseason we graduated four powerful voices in terms of leadership,” Theis said. “We brought in the seven seniors and gave them roles to take on, Sarah was in charge of the open gym. She was very level-headed about coming up with plans. She has always been good with that throughout her career.”
Once Rose steps onto the volleyball court, you can see her positive attributes that she brings to her teammates. Rose said she encourages them to work to their fullest potential everyday.
“It’s important to lead by example, so I come ready to work and practice hard everyday to help make the team better,” Rose said. “Something I always try to emphasize is that once we are in the gym it is all about volleyball and to leave everything else at the door.”
While Rose enjoys being able to help teammates on the court, Theis said he cannot credit enough of her personal character for the solidarity she brings to the team.
“A great person and a great family,” Theis said. “She has meant a lot to us throughout the years. COVID kind of robbed her senior season, but hopefully we can get a little bit of it back.”
This story is written by Molly Gretzlock. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @mollygretzlock.
