Connor Olbright tried escaping his Olympic genes. He spent much of his pre-high school days pursuing basketball and resisting volleyball, said his father, David, who was a member of Team USA’s men’s volleyball squad from 1976-1980.
Olbright’s mother, Pattie, was an All-American volleyball player at the University of Houston, and his older sister, Jenna, 20, followed with similar passion for the sport.
“Jenna really was a volleyball player, and Connor was really a basketball player,” David Olbright said. “He resented the game until he was about 13. He started realizing how fun the game was.”
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The transition away from hoops happened before Connor began high school, during a trip to Spokane, Wash., where Olbright and his father traveled to watch Team USA play Serbia in a World League Match. They had front-row seats, and the play was fast and entertaining.
As the match continued, Olbright’s father began to convince his son he could be good enough to be out there if he committed to it, and Olbright was listening.
“He’s got the talent. He’s got the ability,” David Olbright said. “He’s been driven since.”
Olbright is starting his senior season at El Modena as one of the top setters in the county. He’s the reason the Vanguards are ranked No. 7 in the CIF-SS Division 2 preseason coaches’ poll. He’s accurate when he said, “I pretty much do it all there. It’s fun to do that in high school.”
Olbright already has signed with Long Beach State, where he’ll have an opportunity to be the starting setter next season. He was a first-team All-Century League selection the past two seasons, including league Player of the Year in 2009.
“He’s a great all-around player,” Mission Viejo coach Gus Culver said. “Not only is he one of the two of three best setters in the county, he probably is one of the top five or six players. The little bit I’ve seen, he’s the real deal.”
Olbright’s resume outside of high school competition is notable as well. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound setter helped Team USA to a 10th-place finish at the World Championships in Jessolo, Italy, last year.
In 2008, he led the team to a gold medal at the NORCECA championship in Miami, Fla., which qualified the team for the Youth World Championships. Playing for the Balboa Bay Volleyball club, he made first-team All-America in 2008 while helping the team earn the gold at the 16-Open Junior Olympics. The team repeated as champions 2009 in the 17-Open Junior Olympics, and Olbright was named MVP.
“I would definitely love to play in the Olympics,” Olbright said of his future plans. “Eventually, if I can, I want to play in Europe for a club team. If I’m good enough to make the national team, that’s my highest aspirations that I can achieve.”
In the meantime, Olbright will focus on leading El Modena to another league title, then preparing for his college experience. In committing himself to the highest level of the sport, he realizes how much work is ahead, and that perspective keeps him grounded.
“He’s low-key on it,” David Olbright said. “It’s important for him to maintain that as a person. It is our family’s nature.”
Contact the writer: ctobolski@ocregister.com
