Greta Dobenecker

About Me:

I am 22 years old from Muenster, Germany. I started playing volleyball in 5th grade and decided to come to the United States after graduating high school, to combine my studies towards my bachelor’s degree with my passion for playing volleyball.

I went to Pascal-Gymnasium high school, which is an elite sports school, and a partner of one of the top four youth volleyball academies in Germany. During my last two years in high school, I played for the USC Münster club team and competed in the second professional division in Germany. In 2012, I represented Germany on my volleyball team at the High School World Championships in France. We finished eight out of the 32 teams from all around the world that competed.

During my first two years of college, I went to Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida. We won the Southern Conference Championship during my freshman year, and I was named All-Conference First Team. In my sophomore year, I earned All-Conference Second Team as well as NJCAA All- American Academic second Team.

After those two years in Florida, I transferred to Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, California, and competed in the Pac-West Conference. I finished my last two years of college sports strong, being named All-Conference Second Team as well as Student-Athlete of the year during my senior season. However, the award I cherish the most is being named MVP by my teammates after leading the girls as a team captain during my senior year in college.

I graduated Magna Cum Laude in May 2019 and received my bachelor’s degree in Business Management. After graduating from college, I took the position as the Lead Assistant Volleyball Coach at Fresno Pacific University. I learned to love the game from a coaching perspective and experienced areas such as recruiting, strategy, mental strength, and game-day operations.

Outside of playing volleyball, I love to swim, cook, and read a good book. I enjoy spending time in nature, and I am super passionate about a healthy lifestyle. Athletics has always been a big part of my life, and I am excited to share my knowledge and experience with the next generation of female athletes.

I just turned 18 when I first came to the United States. My English was not very good at the time, and I did not know a single person on my team. The first couple of weeks in Florida were a challenge for me. Pre-season started the day after I arrived, I was jet-lagged and could only understand half of what everyone around me was saying. I struggled to perform on the court in this new environment since the technique, the volleyball system, and the drills were different from everything I had learned back home in Germany.

One night, my roommate and teammate Maddie approached me and asked if I was doing ok. I started to share my frustrations with her, and she made me realize that every single freshman on the team was just as new to the environment and the game of college volleyball as I was. From that day on, I changed my mindset. I decided to be more outgoing, positive, and to welcome the new challenges instead of resisting them. Quickly, I realized how much more enjoyable my volleyball and college experience got since I started to make friends, became more familiar with the new style of play, and asked questions when I did not understand something. Not only me, but all of the other freshmen seemed to open up more as well, and our level of play elevated tremendously.

We ended up winning the conference championship for the first time in school history, and I was voted onto the all-conference 1st team. When I reflect on this experience, I start to recognize the importance of approaching problems and challenges with an open mind and a lot of confidence. You will be thrown into a whole new reality once freshman year starts. Make sure to welcome the change and be open to learn and grow as a player and a person. Your mentality going into college sports will decide if you are going to sink or swim.