Giselle kind of fell into volleyball in a weird way. She played soccer basically her whole life and never really thought about switching sports until people kept telling her she was “wasting her height” not playing basketball or volleyball. She tried basketball first, hated it, and volleyball ended up being the sport that actually stuck.
She had played rec volleyball growing up just for fun, but she didn’t start taking it seriously until eighth grade when she joined club volleyball. That was when everything clicked for her. She fell in love with the competitiveness, the structure, and especially the team aspect of the sport. Having a built-in group of people and the routine of being part of a team quickly became something she loved.
What made Giselle want to continue playing in college was a mix of things. She loved the competitive environment and liked having the structure and routine that came with being an athlete. She also simply wasn’t ready to be done playing yet. On top of that, the opportunity to help pay for school through volleyball became a huge motivation for her.
Volleyball has also shaped her a lot as a person. Being a college athlete, especially in a team sport, helped her improve communication skills and learn how to support the people around her. It also made her more competitive in every aspect of life, not just sports. She feels like volleyball has prepared her for the future by teaching her discipline, time management, and work ethic through balancing practices, travel, games, and school.
One of the harder parts of volleyball that people do not always see is the comparison that comes with higher levels of competition. The higher level she reached, the more she realized there would always be someone better or more experienced around her. At times that could be discouraging, especially when fighting for playing time, but over time she learned to stop comparing herself to everyone else and instead focus on improving herself every day.
Outside of volleyball, Giselle grew up in Orange County, California, with her parents and two brothers, who are both athletes as well. Sports have always been a huge part of her family. In high school she was heavily involved both on and off the court, serving as a volleyball captain and Fellowship of Christian Athlete’s president while also being a strong student academically.
In her free time, she enjoys doing anything active, including hiking and pickleball, and she loves trying new foods and baking banana bread. Faith has also become a major part of her life. Although she grew up around Christianity because her dad is a pastor, she says college was really where she began developing her faith for herself. After going through different experiences during her freshman year, she realized her faith was something she truly wanted to prioritize in her own life.
Her recruiting process was not completely straightforward. During her final club season, she suffered an injury that affected her recruiting opportunities and forced her to rethink her path. Because of that, she started looking into junior college programs and eventually found Mesa after researching top junior college volleyball programs and reaching out to coaches.
Mesa immediately stood out to her because of both the level of the program and the location. She had always wanted to live in San Diego, and once she visited campus, it felt like the right fit. At the time, Mesa was one of the top-ranked junior college volleyball programs in the country, and the competitive environment was something she wanted to be part of.
Her experience at Mesa ended up becoming a huge part of her development as both a player and person. After dealing with injury, being back in a competitive gym every day helped her regain confidence and rediscover herself as a player. The program pushed her physically and mentally and taught her what it really takes to compete at the college level consistently. She says both her freshman and sophomore years helped prepare her for the next step in her career.
That next step will now be at Colorado Christian University, where she is transferring to continue her volleyball career. Colorado Christian is one of the top programs in its conference, and Giselle is excited for the opportunity to compete there and potentially earn playing time right away as a transfer athlete.
She also understands how valuable transfer experience has become in college athletics. Many college programs now actively look for transfers because they already understand the demands of being a college athlete, including balancing school, training, travel, and competition. Giselle feels that her time at Mesa gave her experience and maturity that will help her transition smoothly into the next level of college volleyball.
Even after volleyball eventually ends competitively, Giselle knows the sport will always be part of her life in some way. Whether that means playing beach volleyball recreationally, joining leagues, following college and professional volleyball, or eventually introducing her future kids to the sport, she cannot imagine volleyball ever fully leaving her life.
Looking ahead, she hopes to travel, experience new places, and eventually build a successful future for herself and her family. But no matter where life takes her, volleyball has already helped shape who she is by giving her confidence, discipline, resilience, and a strong work ethic she will carry with her long after her playing career is over.
