Personal & Team Background:

Sophia Deng, class of 2028

Club: Northwest Juniors VBC 16 Platinum - #1 team, competes in open, liberty

High School: The Overlake School, Redmond WA

How I got into volleyball: I fell in love with the sport at U14 level after doing ballet, gymnastics, other sports and ECs in my childhood

Athletic Profile

Height: 5'6'

Primary Recruiting Position: Libero/DS

Secondary Positions: For context, I have been playing club in 14s-16s as an outside hitter, but I am aware that 5'6 is not a very competitive height for an outside hitter in college so I am working on transitioning full time into a L/DS this incoming junior year summer. Additionally, for junior year high school season, I will most likely be setting/playing front row right side for my team, as my team has no setters and needs me to step up to fill the role.

Academic Profile

My school uses a strict scale (93+ = A), but for most recruiting profiles I will be using the standard national scale where a 90 = A.

Stats:

Freshman Year (Sem 1 & Sem 2)

Standard Scale: 4.00 UW / 4.08 W
Strict Scale: 4.00 UW / 4.08 W

Sophomore Year (Sem 1)

Standard Scale: 4.00 UW / 4.29 W
Strict Scale: 3.96 UW / 4.24 W

Sophomore Year (Sem 2)

Standard Scale: 4.00 UW / 4.33 W
Strict Scale: 3.90 UW / 4.20 W

Team Culture, Motivation & Leadership

Coaches describe me as extremely coachable, smart on the court (high volleyball IQ), fast learner, fast on the court on defense/reading. The things that motivate me on the court are working hard, reading and digging a heavy hitter, earning a spot, and competing at the highest level. I am also super flexible and learn new positions incredibly fast. I can play all sorts of positions including outside hitter, libero, defensive specialist, setter, right side/opposite, and even played middle for a little bit in U14. I am ready to step up to any position my coach needs me and to lead my team, creating a welcoming yet competitive environment where everyone can grow as much as possible. My ideal college culture is one that is highly competitive, intense but supportive, and one that pushes me both on the court and in the classroom.