In Nebraska volleyball, everyone speaks well of Olivia Mauch. Coach John Cook keeps her in a prominent position. While talking about her, he said, “Nothing fazes her. She’s a great passer. She has a chance to really help our team this year.” Hearing such words from a coach who has won four national championships holds great significance for a freshman. But that’s not all. The Huskers’ pillar or defensive position, Lexi Rodriguez has something special to talk about Mauch. In a press conference, the senior said, “You never question the effort, the energy, the consistency that she’s going to bring … That’s such a gift, especially as a freshman.” Golden words from a top brass for the player! But what special has she done? 

Both John Cook and Lexi Rodriguez have spoken highly of Olivia Mauch’s character in the arena. Yet which elements shaped her in that way? At 19, Olivia has a similar walk in three streams of volleyball: the national level, the college level, and beach volleyball. But what are the details? Here comes everything. 

Learn about Olivia Mauch’s family and the tragedy they faced

Hailing from Bennington, Olivia Mauch doesn’t register in the lanky Huskers’ group. Rather, she falls in the ‘littles’ row that includes names like Lexi Rodriguez and Laney Choboy. Her demeanor also matches with Rodriguez more, who always generates an awe factor in the opposite camps. Additionally, her story also matches with the libero, who always keeps her program at the top. How? Here’s an example to grasp everything. 

Olivia Mauch’s native place is just near Bennington Lake. Her parents, Jim Mauch and Pam Vogltanz, have been living in the place for many years. But this year, the family faced an utter crisis. In April, Olivia’s house came under the grip of a devastating tornado. Result? Few establishments existed in the entire place. The problem was that the Mauchs had no place to take any shelter. The loss forced the family to relocate for an estimated nine to ten months while their home was rebuilt. Because of the devastation, the neighbors were also unable to help. “You don’t really realize how bad it is until you’re there,” added Olivia to describe the issue’s depth. The timeline of the incident also remained critical.

It was just a few days ahead of the teenager’s debut game for the Huskers in the indoor session. So everyone decided not to tinker with anything. Olivia decided to roll out in her scheduled debut game, and the family flew to cheer her up in the spring match in Kearney. Coach John Cook had some special flowers for them. The soft-spoken coach lauded the effort, claiming, “Here’s somebody whose family just lost their house; they’re trying to figure out where to live. She’s coming in here and performing really, really well.” For the player, the sport was her escape on that day. On other occasions, she made the turf her battlefield. 

Major career highlights and achievements of the Nebraska volleyball star

On December 6, Olivia Mauch had her place in the starting lineup. The chance of appearing in the opening game for the Huskers in the national championship does not come regularly for a freshman. But Mauch accepted the opportunity with both of her hands on Friday and showed what she could do. From behind the line, she generated some key serves that rattled the Rattlers in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. In the night, she served 24 times and scored 4 aces. In the reply, the entire Florida A&M could serve 31 times with a much lower success rate (only one ace). Do those numbers explain something? Being someone defensive-minded and playing a role in the server-receiver bunch of the group, these statistics definitely highlight her significant contribution.

Olivia Mauch ended the Big Ten volleyball conference season with 118 digs, with the digs per set touching 1.76. She had only three players in front of her: Lexi Rodriguez, Bergen Reilly, and Harper Murray. Another surprising part of her attendance is that she played in all 20 matches in the conference season. That explains John Cook’s trust in her. Apart from that, she also had a memorable outing for the beach volleyball squad. With Andi Jackson by her side, Olivia Mauch had an overall record of 18-9. Before joining the Huskers this year, Mauch ended her high school career with 7.1 digs per set and 49 aces in her senior class.

Mauch was part of the U.S. Girls U19 Team that secured the gold medal at the 2023 FIVB U19 World Championships held in Croatia. In the championship match against Turkey, which ended in a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory, she recorded a team-high 13 digs. In June 2024, she also trained with the U.S. U21 National Team in Anaheim, California. Additionally, she was a member of the U.S. Girls U19 National Training Team in 2022. The accomplishments just accumulated after that. For her outstanding performances, she was awarded the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year after her senior season at Bennington. She also achieved recognition on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll for Spring 2024 and was named to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2024. For Olivia Mauch, the best recognition may have come from her teammates and her coach, who count her as the future star. Her fans will surely look forward to watching Olivia Mauch touch peaks for the Huskers.