Avery Callahan

I’ve been setting since I was 12, but honestly I didn’t fall in love with the position until I figured out that my job isn’t to score — it’s to make everyone else better. That realization changed everything about how I play.

I grew up in Lakewood, which means I grew up working hard. My parents didn’t let me take shortcuts, on the court or off it. My dad coached my rec league team when I was eight and he had one rule: play for your teammates, not for yourself. I still think about that every time I step on the court.
I’ve been playing with Ohio Premier since I was in 7th grade. Six years with the same club, a lot of the same teammates, and a coach in Dana Hollister who has pushed me harder than anyone. Three trips to Nationals. A lot of wins and a few losses that stung more than I expected. All of it made me who I am as a player.

Off the court I’m a pretty normal senior. I love sports management — I want to work in athletics someday, maybe on the business side of a college program. I’m obsessed with film study, which probably surprises nobody. I’m also the person in the friend group who remembers everyone’s schedule and makes sure we actually follow through on plans. My teammates would say that tracks.

I’m looking for a program where I can compete at the highest level and keep growing as a player and a person. I want to be coached hard. I want to be around people who take the game seriously and take their academics seriously. I want to look back in four years and feel like I became a better version of myself — not just a better setter.

If that sounds like your program, I’d love to talk.