Episode #99: Olivia Foley on Recruiting

🏐 Owning the Journey: Olivia Foley on Recruiting, Resilience, and Real Advice

 Olivia Foley’s story is one that many athletes and families can relate to. Before she became the NCAA Division III National Player of the Year and a three-time National Champion setter at Juniata College, she was just another high school athlete trying to figure out where she belonged.

In this episode of Significant Recruiting, Coach Matt and Olivia take a different look at recruiting than we have in past episodes.  They discussed the realities of on-campus visits and the importance of recruits bringing their A-game to a visit with a heavy dose humility, as well as the importance for recruits to talk, listen and ask lots of questions...and much, much more.  

But Olivia doesn’t stop there. Her wisdom extends to parents, high school and club coaches, and even college coaches — offering honest insights from the athlete’s perspective on what truly matters in recruiting.

If you’re a recruit, a parent, or a coach, this episode is packed with practical advice and powerful reminders of how to keep the journey grounded in purpose and growth.

💻 Learn more about host Matt Rogers and find tools to guide your recruiting journey at coachmattrogers.com.
📖 Be on the lookout for his new book, The Volleyball Recruit’s Journal, coming to Amazon before the end of August.

Significant Recruiting Resources — Take the guesswork out of college recruiting with Significant Recruiting: The Playbook for Prospective College Athletes, sport-specific Recruit’s Journals, and the Significant Recruiting Launchpad. Practical tools to help families research schools, stay organized, and build a smarter recruiting strategy. Learn more at CoachMattRogers.com.

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Just understanding that you as a player, you're there and you're recruited there for a reason. So don't change yourself all of a sudden oh, I, I'm a middle, but today I think i'm gonna pass. That's not what you're there for. Welcome back to the Significant Recruiting Podcast. I'm your host, Matt Rogers. If you're just joining us, I wanna encourage you to go back and check out part one of my conversation with Olivia Foley, the 2025 NCAA Division three volleyball player of the year. From Junior College, Because it lays the foundation for everything we're diving into today. In that first part, you heard Olivia talk directly to recruits who are stepping on campus for those all important visits. She offered the kind of advice that doesn't come from highlight reels or fancy recruiting videos, but from lived experiences, grounded, thoughtful, and real. And today in part two, we continue that conversation. Olivia opens up about her own path to Junior outta college, one that might sound familiar to more athletes and families than you'd expect. It's a journey that wasn't always linear, wasn't always easy, but ultimately led her exactly where she was meant to be. Through her story, Olivia delivers powerful advice, not just for student athletes, but also for parents, high school and club coaches, and even college coaches, which I loved. She reflects on what worked, what she'd do differently and what truly matters most in the recruiting process. It's honest, it's generous, and it's the kind of insight that can change how you approach this entire experience. Before we jump into that conversation, just a quick reminder that my new book, the Volleyball Recruits Journal, will be available before the end of August. It's a practical tool for recruits and families to stay organized, intentional, and focused throughout the recruiting journey. You can find updates and other resources over@coachmattrogers.com. All right, let's get into it. Here's part two of my conversation with Olivia Foley. I had so much fun talking to you about your playing experience and we finished on a roll talking about how hard it is to overcome the injuries and the mental fatigue and winning so many games, the sets you did. Let's talk a little bit about recruiting. I didn't talk to you about being a setter, so I wanna start there. Mm-hmm. What does being a setter mean to you? To me it feels, and it means to be almost that wall of where you can like bounce ideas off of. It's just like the middleman almost, it's sort of like. I've lived this tale my whole life of being the middle child between my siblings. You hear one side and you're like, okay, great. And you hear the other side and you're stuck in the middle almost. Yeah. Of, and so in a setter it's, the passers saying is that too close to the net? Is that not, close enough? Where would you like it? Like, I'm trying to get it better for you. And so I take that feedback or I give it and whatnot. I'm telling them like, what a great pass. I messed up, and then I come from the hitter side and it's I need that tighter. I need that faster, I need a different pace, different location. And you're just being pulled in two different directions, two completely different directions. So it was very hard and you have to separate yourself almost within your mind of I. I'm gonna do great by this passer. Okay, I'm gonna do great by this, hitter. But also what I need to realize that I need stuff from both of them and able to do my job successfully. I'm not able to take on all of the burden, say of both sides. Whether, if it was say, a bad pass or they hit the ball out when it was a great set, but also realizing. I can do better in that manner, but also they can do better for me. So everybody's able to help each other. But it was hard for me to realize that as a center. But it's a terrible, but I thought a perfect job to be the middleman. I love it. and I want to talk about this 'cause this is so important for high school and club volleyball players to hear. 'cause this is one of the biggest things you gotta learn when you get to college because when you were a sophomore, you had some great hitters you had some of those girls graduate and you had freshmen came in or transfers that would come in and replace them. Talk to me about that, that transition where you're like, man, I have this senior, we are locked in. We don't even need to talk. Sometimes she just needs to gimme a look and I know the ball needs to be higher. I need, I know it needs to be quicker, and then you quicker. And then you got this person coming in when you're rolling, you're a national champion and you got this person that you don't have that with. You don't have that connection with. What's that like? How do you teach them to get there as a player? Forget about the coaching. What are some of the things that you're doing with those incoming kids, especially those 18-year-old freshmen? Yeah. I would get outta my head. I would really watch them. I would watch most of the hitters and see what they liked, whether I was the one setting them or if it was other individuals on the team, setting them just because. I know what I give 'em. I don't know what other people give them. I don't know the feel of it. So being able to watch that and see their reactions we had a quiet outside hitter on our team, and she was not one to be very vocal, so you really had to tune into her nonverbal cues. And so I really did watch her not stalk her but I would, observe her and Of course, yeah. And see like what she needed, what. Was that a fake smile? Was that a real smile? Are is that exactly what you wanted? Or are you at the end of the day, like a people pleaser? There's so many people that just wanna say, yep, that was great, that was my fault, and so on and so forth. But I would have to go up to her and I would say, Hey, I need you to tell me, was that good? Was that bad? It's a simple yes or no. I don't need details. It just made it more simple for her to be able to get her. Constructive criticism out, if I need to change something, please tell me. And I would beg her. I would be like, please tell me I'm terrible. Please tell me I'm the worst editor you ever had. Like, just say something, but yeah, I was, it was pulling teeth at the beginning and I was like, at the end of the day if you don't wanna say that was good, that was bad. I need this changed. I would tell her, gimme a thumbs up. Gimme a thumbs down. I don't need you to talk. If you don't wanna talk, that's fine. Just give me some sort of cue and we could go from there. You're a third base coach. You're giving no signs and ear signs about, am I supposed to steal here, coach, or what exactly. What advice would you give to somebody coming into a program? 'cause all these freshmen, I have a number of 'em that are just starting practice for the first time as freshmen at colleges right now. What advice do you give them? As they're getting there for the first time, and there's all these girls that have been there. They know the system. They know the, they have the small talk, they have the inside jokes. What advice do you give 'em? Do it. Go have lunch with them. Go have breakfast with them. Like it doesn't matter if it's awkward the first few weeks, it will be like no matter who you're around being a freshman. But you need to get out there. People need to understand, who you are. Like how is your sense of humor what do you like to do outside of the sport and whatnot. Just be able to put yourself out there and expose yourself to different, like very uncomfortable situations and people will be able to understand you. They'll be able to make those inside jokes with you and they'll be able to really like connect with you in a sense because. For volleyball. You were able to make those connections off the court. And so that's why you see everything come together on the course because we were all great friends. Not only were we together probably at least half of the day every single day with practice conditioning lifts, so you'd get tired of each other. Of course you would, but you need to find your friends and your people within that, but also understand that not everyone's gonna be your friend. Yeah. And that's okay. You're not gonna, like everybody, there's so many personalities out there, especially on a team. But expose yourself. Say yes to those plans, even if you really don't wanna go out and hang out with, say these upperclassmen or other people in your class and you don't wanna go to lunch with them. You wanna go to lunch by yourself? Get out of your shell. Stop being a loner. Expose yourself to new people because it's only gonna help you in the long run. If you don't end up liking 'em, then you'll know sooner rather than later that this school's not right for you and you'll be able to transfer out. So just expose yourself as much as you can and don't say no. But if you don't try, you'll never know. Exactly. You're not gonna know if this is a good fit for you in one semester. You're not gonna know if it's a good fit for you in a year. You gotta give it some time. Let's say I'm an 8-year-old and I come to you, 'cause I know you're the senior, you're the captain. I come to you and I go, Olivia, and I'm, I don't, I'm afraid to tell you this, but I'm scared outta my mind. I I don't feel like I'm connecting with the girls. I don't feel like I'm, I'm getting where I want to be with this team. I do you handle that? I would say essentially I would ask more questions and understand like. Why are you scared? Like what exactly is it talking to them? Is it just being around them? Like there's different things and different layers of being scared around different people. 'Cause of course everyone's gonna give you a certain vibe. But going off of that, just being like, okay do you want to keep pursuing it? Do you still want to keep trying to get to know them? Some people might not want to, and you'll have to respect their decision for that too. But if they were wanting to keep trying to understand more people on the team and get over this fear, I would say, okay, you're going with me. We're gonna go here, or we're gonna go to lunch, or you're gonna come to my room, or you're just gonna do things with me and get more comfortable with me. Just because, being a senior or captain as you explained, if I were that in this scenario, I would obviously have a well enough relationship with everybody on the team. To make that scenario more comfortable for her. Yeah. And make that environment way more comforting and welcoming almost for her. So I can sort of take her under my wing if I need to. Yeah. It's what makes you a great leader. And the key to this is when you're new, is being honest, being forthright with sharing how you're feeling. Right, right. Yes. And it's huge. Most people just wanna hide away in the room and not say anything. But if you're able to speak up, then you respect, say, me or anybody on this team well enough to voice your opinions, and that will go both ways in the long run. Do you have really good friends that are non volleyball players at Giata? I do. Not many, just because Giata is very small and it's hard not. To find people that are on the volleyball team or I find other people of different sports teams. But yeah, I have a good balance. Is it hard finding people that can understand what you're going through? Yes. And can what you're going through? Yes. How important is it for you to have that person or two that are non volleyball players that you can escape from and know that they're gonna love you and respect you and you have those relationships? Where you can almost remember, I'm a human being. Yeah. Is that important? Oh, it's huge because you get sucked into this like vortex, on a team. Yeah. And you're like, everybody at Juta or at any school that you're at is having the same problems as I am, oh, this girl and I didn't click. Everybody must have that with her. No. Like the world is way much bigger than you think it is. Like as small as a school as they junior it is. There's so many different lives that are, going on that you have no idea that's going, that's happening because you're so sucked in and so focused on that. So get out, burst the bubble, and get out of that vortex. Let's build on that because I think so many kids want to go to where they're comfortable, they want to go to that state school where they're comfortable. Well, let's not even talk sports now. Let's just talk about going from high school to college. And they want to, I'm gonna go room with my best friend from high school. How important it is to use college as a chance to redefine yourself and get out of that bubble and learn about other cultures and other people, and make friends that are from California and Florida and maybe India or China or France. How important is that to that college career for you when you look back? Oh, it's so important. College is your time to not only rediscover yourself, but rediscover like who you are, say in the friend realm, or in a sister, or even a daughter sort of identity. You're able to expand on that. I see so many people from my high school go to the same college and they room together and they're doing the same path. Of say they get the same job there or they get the same internship and you're just funneling into similar lifestyles rather than going abroad or doing something out of the ordinary. Make your experience more individualistic and it will be for you. Like it, it just, it really bothers me when people do the same thing as their best friends. 'cause. You can have more than one best friend or one friend in this world, and you can do whatever you want in this world, but you are in charge of that. And there's so many people that go abroad and it's just I could never do that. Say, oh, I'm not that in independent. But you could be, you just didn't try, it's amazing how it changes you when you Yes. Make yourself get out of that. And I hate to say it, I'm gonna upset some people, but I'm bored by those people. I am too. I'm bored by those people that have never left home, that have always done the same thing and only hung out with the same people. They bore me and the people that have traveled. They, their humility is greater, their empathy is greater. They can look at whatever you've been dealing with in your life and go, gosh that's rough. I respect you for that. And the ones that haven't are the ones that don't seem to respect others that are a little bit different than them. So I, I love that perspective. And I love that you've got that from your college experience too. All right. I'm gonna take you back. Alright. Let's go back to your recruiting experience. What did you know about recruiting? When you started your recruiting journey, do you remember? Oh, that was a long time ago. Honestly, I didn't really know much. I was really new to the whole AAU club world. I personally, I only played a year of club. Volleyball while people are playing from when they're 10 or 11 and all the way up. So I was like the newbie. That was very old. Mom and dads that are listening and you club coaches and high school coaches, you're listening. The national player of the year played one year of club. Okay, I want everybody to that. It would've been, yeah, would've been two. But then COVID, so I got one and a half. One and a half. Okay. But still. Was it paramount to you playing in college? Do you think if you wouldn't have played club, you still would've had a similar experience? If I never, if I did not play club, I would never have made it over there to rural Pennsylvania. Okay. So club helps you get found by Coach Pavlik? Yes. Okay. Greatly. Okay. What do you wish she knew at that point about recruiting? I wish, you know now. I wish I knew what I liked as a player more. Like it's very different between a male coach and a female coach. I had both in high school, but for volleyball only. I ended with a female coach, but growing up. I would have male coaches and I didn't realize the difference between that because these male and female coaches, like they were family friends, so I saw them very comfortable individuals to be around of. But understanding that and why you want that was huge. I wish I would've known that. There's so many different layers to a female and male coach. What. What was the reason you chose a female coach, and why are you glad you did? What are some of those things that you're glad you had that with? With Heather? Yeah. I was glad that. From a school, from let's, seven, eight hours away from my hometown, a female presence was really what would've made me more comfortable in that environment. So that's where I looked. And then plus she was a setter, so it just, it was like the perfect little duo that I found in Heather. And she was able to look at me as a whole person, just. Maternal to paternal, feelings, attitudes. Those are very different. As much as they could be said being similar, but they're so different. So I really saw the maternal side of Heather come through and that's what really drew me in. I was. My club coach was a male and he knew Heather and not only played but coached against Heather's husband. So it was like almost this whole little family ordeal and I just, I sided with the female side of it and that's where I was more comfortable with. Yeah. So that was just for me personally. And every, everybody's different, you've gotta under, that's one of the great questions to ask yourself, where am I most comfortable? Where do I learn the best? Did you have opportunities to play higher than D three I did not, but I also got into the game very late but I did not have any higher opportunities. You don't have to give me any names, but the portal kind of took off early on in your career. Did anybody try and poach you? No. Okay. I'm surprised by that. I'm surprised there weren't some D twos that. I didn't call your high school coach or your club coach and see if you'd be interested. All right. Yeah, but I got this random offer. I mean, it wasn't particularly random, but to play overseas over in Germany. But of course with COVID and I wanted to take my fifth year I was looked at as a senior when I was getting, approached by this individual to play overseas. But I was like, I'm gonna go back and I wanna do my fifth year. So it set me apart. I was eventually after that too old, that's not what they were looking for. So thank goodness I did, I was able to get a third national championship, but absolutely, it was just, yeah, it was weird to get that opportunity, overseas, but not really get anything, like you said here to be recruited to play higher up. I would think you could go play pro overseas right now. Have you thought about that at all? I have, but I've also been like, I think I'm ready to close that door and I'm ready to get down with school and start your life. Go the next step. Exactly. Yeah. Not live in a dorm or an apartment and no more cafeteria food and yeah, no more of that. No more swipes. I'm done with the mores Swipes. No more swipes. Right. All right. Let's give some advice to parents that have a 16, 17-year-old that are going through this recruiting process. What would you tell them about this journey? Oh I would probably tell them t understand balance of taking control of those meetings. Whether it's your club coach or it's the club, recruiter right there in the atmosphere. Understand that you're a 16, 17-year-old, maybe even younger, is probably not gonna understand the right question. They don't know what questions to ask at that age, and there's nothing that's able to, teach them to understand that. And so. Take control to a certain degree in that meeting. Ask some questions that you know are very important to you as a parent, but also ask questions that you know for your kid. I'm not even sure, if they're an antisocial individual, if they're a very social individual, ask certain questions about schools that would be either right up your kids' alley or be so uncomfortable that you couldn't even imagine your kin there. But keep an open mind, ask questions that your kid is able to realize, wow, I, I should have realized that I didn't even think about that. I'm so glad my mom or dad asked that. But also understand that's not your meeting, that's not your recruiting, that's not your process. That's your kids process. So kind of give 'em the tools like you have your entire life. Give 'em the tools to go through life, but then at the end of the day. Sort of push 'em off the edge, do it your own and we'll push you in the pool and I hope you can figure out how to swim. We've given you enough tools. Yeah. I, when I was a college coach, I always seemed to like it when parents would say, it's not our decision, it's our daughter's decision, and now as I've gotten older and I have my own kids and I talk, I work with so many families that are going through this, I'm a little concerned about that because I'm like, they're 17 years old, they haven't lived. They have no idea what to ask. They have no idea what's coming for them. You do, you've went through this. You don't have to take control of this per se, but you do have to ask questions that they're not gonna ask. Right? You need to get answers from coaches and financial aid and admissions and the other players that your son or daughter don't know to ask. So I love that advice. Okay. Yeah go ahead. Well, I was gonna say, like in my recruiting meeting, my, obviously I'm sure I'm five seven, I'm not your average, D one setter or D two. But my mom asked the question like, is she able to maybe move out of that setter role and could she be a libero? Because they're looked at as the second prime setter on the court. Yeah. My club coach Loy, he said, no, I don't think that would be a good fit. Like even if we worked on her defense and she could be an ideal ero, no, I think she needs to stay with setting. And after that answer came out, my mom kind of sat back and let me, let her control the meeting. So it was just like that great balance right there of being like, I didn't even realize, that there I could play a different position, my height could come into play. But also realizing that I need to figure out my decision by myself. Yeah. I hate taking a kid away who loves that position so good at it and worked their whole life at it. I hate having a coach say, well, we really like his setter, but we need a ro. Right. Would you come in Andro? Well now you're giving up a piece of what you love. And maybe you've learned to love Berro, but maybe you just, maybe, that's where my heart is. I wanna be the quarterback. I want be that the pitcher. I want the ball in my hands every play. I want to be the one that's determining where this team goes. Yeah. That's hard to let go of. So that's really great advice from your club coach to say, this is what you're great at. Stick to it. Don't let anybody Yeah. Underscore that. Yeah. And he wasn't saying that I can't do it. He was saying that in my best interest it wouldn't be smart. And I had to understand that he wasn't being mean, he wasn't being rude saying I could be a terrible Le Barrel. He was just saying that I would prevail as a setter. Yeah. And I talk about, I talk to kids about this all the time. Let's find a coach that sees you the way you see yourself. Right. That's so important. And I would imagine Coach Pavlik saw you the way you saw yourself. Oh yeah. Yes. Talk. Talk about that experience being in the room for her the first time, whether it's in her office or over zoom, whatever it may have been. How did you know that she was your coach? I think she came to one of my tournaments, my club tournaments. And she was like, okay, I'm gonna come watch you. And I was like, perfect. Like I was really fearful of meeting her, of course. Who is it scared of meet a coach, but I was like, maybe. Maybe she'll miss my game because the games were running, very fast that time. And so I was like, perfect. We'll just hurry up, we'll play, win or lose, whatever, and we'll get out. She won't see my game. So she was there but not, she wasn't in the normal seating area, so I was only looking there. Mind you, there's an, balcony up there and she's just watching directly down on my court. Yeah. And so I was, my parents were like, Hey, she's over there. 'cause she introduced herself to my parents during the game. And so I was like, do I have to go say hi? Like you guys are, talk to her. Do I need to go introduce myself? Like it's I'm good. I'm ready to just go home. Oh, that was such a teenager perspective. Yeah. And so this is the person you're gonna spend the next four years of your life with. You're like, do I have to go say hi to her? I know. I was like, well, can you come with me? And they were like, no, we'll be waiting for you over here. And I was like, oh, okay. So I walked up to her and I was like, oh, it's nice to meet you and you know this and that, and thank you for coming. And just what you were taught to say thank you for coming, blah, blah, blah. And she gave me criticism on my sex. It wasn't like hey, when do you play? Tomorrow would love to see you. And it was great seeing you, whatever it was when you're setting, behind you make sure that your hips are square and was giving me the these techniques and I was like, oh, she's straight to business. She's starting the be my coach right now, whether I decide that she's becoming my college coach or not. And I was like. I respect that. Like I respect that she was ready to jump in right into it and she wasn't gonna tell me that I, that I was good enough to play for her school there. I was like, I need to get better if I want her to continue to recruit me. You understand now that she'd already fallen in love with you and that was her way of telling you, yeah, I've already decided what you're gonna be, and I'm gonna start right now to get you there. Yeah, I'm glad I realize that now, but in the moment I was like, my God, is she just the rudest thing ever? Are you kidding me? Like, why I tell kids this all the time. I go, what a coach is criticizing you about your plan, giving you, they've already started thinking about how they're gonna coach you for the next four years. They've already envisioned what you're gonna be in four years. 'cause they know you're far from a finished product and they're already thinking about what that finished product's gonna look like. Right. Like my high school basketball coach, he was like, when your coach stops criticizing you, that's when you worry. Yes. That's when you worry. They don't care enough or they're not invested enough in you to continue to do that. And so I was like, well, recruiting, it's gonna be a happy, joyful thing, woo. She came and it was not joyful. It was stomped on my spirits, but thank goodness she did. It really opened my eyes to being like, I, I want that the rest of my career. That's right. And as a college coach the really great ones like Coach Pavlik, they don't want you coming to play for them. No matter how much they believe in you. They don't want you to come play for them if you're realizing right away, oh, I don't want that. Right. Because that's just gonna be a problem for them for the next four years. Exactly. Right. So they'd rather say, here's the truth, here's how it's gonna be. If you like it, let's keep talking. If you don't like it, we wish you all the best, but this is how Exactly, right? Yes. All right. Let's talk about when recruits come to visit. Oh, yes. Okay. How big of a role do you and your teammates play in helping the coaching staff figure out if this is the right person? Because I'm guessing in D three they come and coaches sit in their office and you guys play you scrimmage and do some open gym. Yep. Right? Yeah. What is that like for you in helping coach, giving her advice and the coaching staff advice about, we like this kid, not sure about this one. What's that look like? Truthfully, I wasn't involved that much When recruits came, they would. Someone would come and a coach would be like, who can go to lunch? And normally it was during prime lunchtime, so a majority of us of the team would go and we'd say, hi, great to meet you. Like we'd ask a certain questions. But for me personally, we were able to understand on the team that there was a handful of individuals that probably shouldn't handle recruits. Not that they weren't capable of it, but just because they. They wouldn't give 'em the right experience, I guess you could say. And I was one of those people and I was fine with, I was fine with that, but there was also great individuals, whether it was like that freshman class before, or it was all the way up seniors they, there were right people for the right job. And that's where coaches took them. And so coach would really talk to those people. There was a core junior slash senior class these past few years that would be perfect for recruits. They, they would take 'em to their room and there would be like six or seven of 'em in that group and it would just be perfect. Very welcoming, very very involved outside of volleyball, of course the recruits is gonna see the gym, they're gonna see the lifting, they're gonna see the practice, but it's seeing like the social life outside of that. That's where. People really drawn in because junior college is almost in the middle of like nowhere, yeah. So you need to tune into people that are on campus. So those group of people on the team, they had a great social life and there were a large number of them. So they were able to grasp from different sports teams, different clubs, different activities, and so that's where the recruits went. And we understood that some people weren't right for the job. How should a recruit approach that visit where they know they're gonna be with the team and they're gonna, they're gonna be, have their gear on and they're gonna be playing and they're gonna go to lunch. How should a recruit approach that whole perspective with. Their heart on their sleeve, humility out the gate, honesty out the gate, playing wise Hey, this speed is way too fast for me. Or, I don't know what you call certain sets, or just being able to be like, oh my gosh, I completely messed up. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm not in the same level as you guys. I'm not, able to move in that fast manner and be able to be like, okay, I need a higher set, or. Can I serve or I don't serve? Just understanding that you as a player, you're there and you're recruited there for a reason. So don't change yourself all of a sudden oh, I, I'm a middle, but today I think I'm just gonna play a little bit. I'm gonna pass. That's not what you're there for. You're just wasting your time ultimately. And so understanding that the reps are. Perfect, and they're very needed and necessary, but also understand that if you're in the practice, gym with us or you're at lunch, make those conversations, even if it's in the service line and it's two seconds. To some upperclassmen, you made some sort of connection and you made an effort. So just be completely talkative as much as you can. But if that's not you, that's not you. Don't change who you are. You're there for a reason. Love it. Great advice. What questions would you advise a recruit to ask the girls on the team when the coaches aren't around? What questions do you wish you would've asked and do you think all recruits should ask? Yeah, I think how does an issue get resolved, whether it's on the team or off the team, or on the court? On the court, on the court. It's very easy to see the. Resolution come about, but off the court, like especially with girls, like we are dramatic. We are, we take everything to just the fullest extent. Myself included, of course I had my moments, we're very emotional, so just. How does that look? How do you go through the right channels almost on a team to resolve an issue? Whether it has to do with the volleyball or it has to do something dumb like a boy. Yeah. How do you go around that and how do you navigate that, I think would be a great question because Love it. Love it. Yeah. Us girls that's gonna be in my next book and I'm gonna quote you on it. Love it. But I think that understanding, I mean, of course a normal question would be like, how does your life look in volleyball? Like, how does that schedule go about? But also like when you guys have a day off, what does that look like? What do you do? What is still important to you? Does it, is there anything volleyball related or if there's not? I would say probably most coaches do an individual meeting. That's what I was kind of used to at Giata, but is it okay if your meeting goes bad? There's not always gonna be a perfect meeting. There's all Americans on any team and you just imagine, oh, their meeting goes perfectly. Oh, Olivia, you're doing such a great job. Just keep doing, you sends you on your way out. No, that, that's just not an ideal meeting. Ideal meeting will be with positive reinforcement, but also with that criticism of being like, you need to fix this and. You should probably work on this later on, so on and so forth. So just how does that look I guess, is what I would encourage young athletes to ask is what happens when things don't go perfect? I love, that's really great advice. Do you wish you would've asked some of those things when you were going through your recruiting journey? Oh yeah. I definitely wish and like looking back at, these undefeated seasons, like we are so used to winning and so I wish I would've asked, and Juliana is, has a prestigious, record well before you know my time of just being known to win. So what does that look like when you guys don't win? What happens when you lose? What does that, bus ride look or what does the practice look like the next day? How do the coaches approach that? In a sense, it's very tough to have Juliana with a losing record. So how does that look, say if it were to happen, would we be able to withstand all that negativity, all of that gruesome, all the work you have to put in to be, become the best team in the country? How does that look? Yeah, and maybe a great question for a team that hasn't won like Giata why haven't you guys won more? Why haven't you guys successful? As, as you want to be. I love that. Those are, it's a great perspective. All right. Last piece of advice, and this is, we've never done this on the show. I've never asked anybody this question. From a student athlete perspective, what advice do you give college coaches about recruiting? What do you advise them to really put some thought into as they're dealing with student athletes? I would say set. Healthy boundaries. You of course wanna get very close and make great connections with your players, both as a player and as a person, but also understand that there is a divide between coach and player. There will always be, no matter how conversations may flow in a sense of for example, with a big group of girls like. Girls usually talk behind other girls' backs. I mean, it's just, it's like second nature for us, everybody does it and you confront it or you don't. So understanding that. If there is something that, say a coach does hear about, of some sort of conflict on the team, being able to understand should I step into this? Should I control this or should I let them handle it? Like I, I'm, they're at the end day, not our mothers. They're not our fathers, and they're not gonna hold her hand when a girl doesn't like me on the team, or so on and so forth. So being able to step back and be like, they're gonna handle it. I'm gonna set this boundary. And I will step in once it starts to affect the team in a sense. Yeah. They're like your sisters, they're like your siblings. You're gonna fight, you're gonna be angry, gonna have arguments, but who's gonna step up and be the person that resolves? It isn't gonna be the players. Are they able to step up and be that adult and be mature enough to confront the other individual? Or is there gonna have to be someone else like a coach that needs to stand in? It's so funny, my wife and I were having a similar conversation yesterday because she's, my wife hates being micromanaged. She's been an executive, a professional for 30 years. And she's got a boss that's learning how to be a boss, learning how to be a supervisor. And she said to just say, listen, I will come to you when I need you. You don't need, you don't need to tell me how to do my job. You don't have to tell me how to do this, but when I need you, I'm gonna come to you. And I think that's. That's something, as us coaches, we need to do better. We need to say, listen, I'm not gonna micromanage you. I'm not gonna tell you what to do. I'm, I don't want to have to critique every set you make, Olivia. Okay. But when you're struggling, I expect you to come to me and say, coach, I'm struggling. I'm frustrated. I'm not connecting with my right side. I'm not connecting with my pastors. I'm not my middle and I are just not getting that quick set very well, and I don't know why. Okay. It's important as for coaches that we set that precedent early and we repeat it saying, Hey, if you're struggling at home, you're struggling in the classroom, I need to hear about it. I'm only gonna micromanage you if I see Cs and Ds on your report card. I'm only gonna micromanage you when you're not talking, when you're not communicating with us or your teammates, or your attitude's not great. Right. That's fantastic advice. It's something we all need to hear, not just as players, but as coaches. So it's great. Ms. Foley, you're a rockstar. As great of a volleyball player as you are. You are an even better person and a better human being. And I hope your teammates listen to this and they all send me emails about all the things I should have asked and all the things that I missed that I don't know about you. But I wish you so well in your future. And like I told you when we started, if there's anything I can ever do to help you, I will do it in a heartbeat. And anybody that's lucky enough to hire you or work with you they're getting, a really great person for their team and family, so thank you for doing this today. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate all you're doing. I hope this helps somebody reaches somebody on a level. This is the podcast that. Every parent that listens to this will make their kid listen to in the car and the next time they drive. So it was so good. So many golden nuggets. And I'm gonna have my daughter listen to it 'cause I think she just needs to hear your confidence and how much you had to overcome to get to this person that you are today. So I love it. Thank you so much. Thank you. you just heard the end of a two-part conversation with Olivia Foley. If you're a parent, a coach, or anyone trying to understand what the heart of a champion looks like and sounds like, look no further than Olivia Foley, the 2025 NCAA Division three national player of the year. She speaks with convict. She completely understands her self-worth. She knows who she wants to be, even when the world isn't perfectly aligned with her thoughts or her fears. Olivia is the perfect example of how a small liberal arts education can shape not only great athletes, but exceptional people. She's proof that character, purpose, and leadership can be cultivated in environments where the individual still matters. She's just so darn impressive. If you miss part one, go back and give it a listen. It's packed with wisdom for recruits, families, and coaches alike straight from someone who's lived it. And as always, you can find more tools and resources for your recruiting journey@coachmattrogers.com, including updates on my upcoming book, the Volleyball Recruits Journal, which will be available before the end of August. Whether you're a recruit, a parent, or a coach, it's designed to help you stay focused, stay organized, and stay grounded in what matters most. Now, before we say goodbye, next week's podcast, they're big ones, episode 100 is next Friday. And boy did I get lucky. Joining me is a Mount Rushmore level coach, a national treasure, a five time NCAA division one national champion coach, you will not want to miss it. Make sure you're subscribed@coachmattrogers.com so you never miss an episode. Until next time, stay focused, stay humble, and stay in the fight.