By: Matt Florjancic '07
BEREA, Ohio – Before becoming a star player at Baldwin Wallace University, senior setter Olivia Zawadzki started her college volleyball career at Indiana Wesleyan. While at IWU, she experienced plenty of success on the court, but something was missing.
Despite being a First-Team All-Crossroads League selection, Zawadzki decided to pursue other opportunities. When Zawadzki went looking for a school that met her needs athletically and academically, she found Baldwin Wallace. It was at that moment that the Hilliard, Ohio native found a new home.
“There were a lot of factors outside volleyball that IWU didn’t have,” Zawadzki said. “I liked the volleyball at IWU, but there were a lot of things like the psych department, the minors they offered here, and just Head Women's Volleyball Head Coach Kristina Fultz coming in here.
“I had a lot of coaches that coached with her and coached her at Wittenberg. That just made me want to come here for the culture she was building and bringing.”
When Zawadzki arrived at BW, she was part of the first team coached by Kristina Fultz, a former two-time captain and All-Regional Tournament player at Wittenberg University and assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy.
Fultz brought a new-found confidence to the program, and a willingness to challenge her players by facing top teams in the country. That is the kind of high-level volleyball and mindset Zawadzki embraced.
“Oh yeah. I love it,” Zawadzki said. “I love it here so much. I have met best friends that will be my best friends for the rest of my life here on this team.
“I’ve loved the volleyball here. I think it’s been really exciting. I think there’s been a lot of growth since last year. I think anyone can see how much better we’ve all gotten. We were a pretty young team last year, and we’re still kind of a young team this year, so it’s just really exciting to see all the progress we’ve made. I’m so excited for the rest of the conference schedule.”
By finding a school that met what she was looking for both athletically and academically, Zawadzki quickly found a comfort level in Berea and made an impact for the Yellow Jackets during the 2022 season.
She played in 86 sets over 24 matches and totaled 818 assists, which was the fourth-highest total in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Also, her 9.51 assists-per-set average was third in the OAC.
Additionally, Zawadzki totaled 59 kills, a team-high 38 service aces, 209 digs (second on the team) and was the Yellow Jackets’ third-best blocker (47).
“She had already come from a program that was winning,” Fultz said. “IWU was very traditionally successful, and so, she’s seen it firsthand. When she came in, her competitive drive was a little bit new for people, and it is exactly what we needed. I think she has brought that out in her teammates.
“Her ability to run an offense at a high level is just second to none. I think there were really great setters in the conference last year. She obviously got Second-Team All-OAC, but I just don’t know if there are many other setters that run an offense the way she does, plays defense the way she does, serves the way she does and pretty much does whatever the team needs.”
“Whatever the team needs” includes leading a different type of system than Zawadzki ran in her first year at BW.
With the emergence of sophomore setter, Katarina Blazetic, the Yellow Jackets have given Zawadzki more rest during matches. However, the more frequent substitutions have not impeded Zawadzki from continuing to make her presence known on the court.
Through 21 matches, Zawadzki has registered a team-high 489 assists and 6.79 assists per set. She has added 30 kills, 32 service aces, 144 digs, 12 total blocks and 68.5 points.
“This year, we’ve found ourselves a little bit more in a 6-2 than a traditional 5-1,” Fultz said. “She has been used to running 5-1 her entire career, and for her, it was ‘Whatever it takes to win.’ I know she would love to be out there as much as she possibly can, but she knows that this lineup has been working for us, and so, that’s what she wants. She wants the team above self.”
Senior middle hitter Isa Luciano added, “She’s always chirping at me. She’s always pushing me, and I appreciate that. I appreciate being pushed. I appreciate being humbled a little bit. I don’t need to take myself so seriously. I think she does a really good job of that with me and the rest of the team.”
By putting the team above herself, Zawadzki has been an impact player wherever she has competed.
Despite not yet completing her second season at BW, Zawadzki has registered more than 1,200 assists. Overall, Zawadzki has registered more than 3,000 career assists while leading offenses at IWU, and now, BW.
“I love the opportunity,” Zawadzki said. “I kind of look at it like the middleman. It’s my job to get my hitters a score. It’s my job to put them in the best position they can, so I just look at it like, ‘How can I best serve my teammates in this position?’”
Fultz added, “She is making the decisions. She is essentially making the decisions on who is going to have a good day by creating ISOs, one-on-one scenarios for our hitters by deciding in a three-option scenario to go to a pin when more traditionally, people want to run the middles. She puts our team in situations where people get to do their job really, really well.”
Nowhere was that ability to distribute to her teammates in good situations more evident than in a recent game against John Carroll.
Zawadzki had 22 assists, four service aces and nine digs. More importantly, however, the Yellow Jackets hit at a .204 percentage with 51 kills on the way to their second straight win over the Blue Streaks.
“It did feel pretty sweet,” Zawadzki said. “It always feels extra sweet when it’s your rival school. I just think that we really went into non-conference matches this year in a growth mindset. One of our goals this year is to win the conference.
“I think that we looked at these non-conference games and said, ‘Where are our areas of weakness? Where can we learn, and where can we grow?’ I just think we’ve taken a lot of what we needed to learn, and we’ve made a lot of progress.”
Since beating John Carroll, the Yellow Jackets have added victories against Muskingum and at Heidelberg over their next three OAC matches. This week, strong showings against Ohio Northern and Capital would clinch a return to the OAC Tournament after missing the six-team field last year and being picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll this season.
“I have so much confidence in these girls right now, and I’m just ready to go,” Zawadzki said.