JEFF FIELDER Editor
SCOTTSBLUFF – Olivia Schaub, a Gering High School graduate who just earned an associate’s degree from Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, is Nspire Today!’s Female Athlete of the Month for May, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance. Schaub just completed her second and final season on WNCC’s volleyball team, which won the Region IX Tournament championship and qualified for the NJCAA National Tournament in West Plains, Missouri. WNCC finished with a 27-7 record. Schaub, who played both outside hitter and middle blocker this season for the Cougars, will continue her volleyball career at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. In addition to playing volleyball at WNCC, Schaub has been a student ambassador, and she’s the vice president for Phi Theta Kappa, an honors society. She’s also involved in LEAD (Leadership/Engagement/Action/Development), FCA, and His Hill, a Christian group that meets regularly. She has a 3.66 GPA. She plans to major in exercise science at Northwestern College. Her mom is Jama Crandell, and her grandparents are Gordon and Nancy Schaub. For being named an athlete of the month, Olivia will receive a gift card for a free drink at Scooter’s Coffee.
Q: Talk about how this volleyball season went for WNCC?
SCHAUB: “It was a crazy year, especially since we started in the spring. We usually start in the fall. It definitely had a different feel to it, but all of us were excited just to be able to play. From the beginning, I knew we would be a good team. We started out the season with a home tournament, and we had a rough first game, losing to EWC. But we finished the tournament with three wins, and we beat a team from Utah that was really good. So, that was a huge win for us and gave us a lot of confidence.
“I think another good shift in our season came when we beat NJC. That’s our rival. We beat them at their gym in four sets. That was a really exciting game. Then two weeks later, they were supposed to play us in our gym on Sophomore Night. But unfortunately, a couple of their girls got COVID, so we had to cancel Sophomore Night. I was really sad at first because I realized I wouldn’t be able to play my last game at WNCC. But I knew our team wasn’t finished yet. We ended up winning regionals, beating NJC in the finals. That was really exciting, especially since we came up short of winning regionals and going to nationals last year. As a sophomore, I really wanted to experience going to nationals, so I’m glad we were able to do that. We really came together as a team.”
The entire Q&A with Schaub is in the May issue of Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues), you may send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Please include your name, address, phone number, and email. You may also sign up with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865 any time, any day of the week.
If you would like to nominate someone for Nspire Today!’s Athletes of the Week or Athletes of the Month, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, you may do so by sending an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com or by mailing a letter to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Nominations may also be submitted by sending a text to 308-220-8865.
