Photo by: (Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)
Dig R Knights: Lauren DeLo
Nov 03 | Women's Volleyball
Lauren DeLo's decision to come to Rutgers was a combination of the known and unknown.
The global pandemic had hit when she was looking to transfer and her official visit to the Rutgers campus was a little different than the normal visit. DeLo took her official tour of the State University of New Jersey over FaceTime with the coaching staff showing off the New Brunswick and Piscataway campuses, as well as meeting some of her would-be teammates virtually.
From afar, however, it was the people in the program that had DeLo choose Rutgers as her new home.
"I was really excited to get on board with these new coaches because they are super locked into making this program great," DeLo explained. "Honestly, they made my decision very easy. I knew my decision to transfer was going to be solely based on the coaches and the culture of the environment, which I really loved about Rutgers."
The name Rutgers, however, is not totally unfamiliar to the setter who originally hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma. In fact, DeLo is a Scarlet Knight legacy. Her grandparents, Paul and Margaret Mitchell, are both graduates of Rutgers with Paul having suited up for the football and wrestling teams in his day.
"They always talked about how Rutgers was compared academically to the Ivy's," she recalled of her grandparents' memories while also remembering being shown photos from their yearbooks.
While the ability to take to the court for volleyball in the nation's top conference was a major attraction for DeLo, it was those same academics that grandma and grandpa talked about that also helped bring her "To The Banks."
"Growing up in Oklahoma, I think we got like two tornadoes every week," she remembered. "So I grew up watching the severe weather storm chasers all the time and that instilled a passion. Then my senior year of high school in South Carolina, I took an aerospace class and I loved it. If I had have never taken that class, I would have never known I love meteorology."
Majoring in meteorology requires DeLo to balance her time on the court with classes in math, chemistry and physics to master the understanding of weather, climate and the processes of the atmosphere.
Hard work, though, is nothing new to DeLo.
During her scholastic career, she was a two-time Under Armour Honorable Mention All-American and the 2018 South Carolina AA Player of the Year as she racked up 336 kills, 881 assists, 442 digs and 128 aces during her career.
"I think I can be a leader on the court," she said. "I talk a lot and I work hard. That's one thing that I love that our coaches really implement. They want us to work as hard as we can and they always push us to work as hard as we can. They are trying everything for us to be ready to play in the Big Ten. We have improved so much as a team."
DeLo's journey to the court might have been a little bit more predictable than the weather.
With older sisters playing the sport, the younger DeLo, not yet old enough to remain home by herself, accompanied her mom to all their tournaments. With none of the moms wanting to take stats, eight-year-old DeLo volunteered.
"I loved it and I learned the game before I played," she recollected. "I think that's why I caught on so quickly."
A few years later, DeLo took the court never questioning whether (not weather) or not she would play in college.
DeLo, meanwhile, has a forecast for the future of Rutgers volleyball.
"The team's goal would be to surprise everyone," she predicted. "I feel like we are going to be really good and I don't think a lot of people are expecting it. We want to be one of those teams who will never let the ball drop. You are going to have to work hard to beat us."
As for her personal forecast, DeLo is looking ahead to sporting Scarlet.
"I want to play with my teammates," the redshirt freshman said. "I want to be in that jersey again. It's been so long. I'm just ready to get back on the court and play in my first collegiate game.
"I want to be the best that I can be and I want to represent Rutgers the best way I can."
For previous stories in the Rutgers Volleyball's Dig R Knights Series:
The global pandemic had hit when she was looking to transfer and her official visit to the Rutgers campus was a little different than the normal visit. DeLo took her official tour of the State University of New Jersey over FaceTime with the coaching staff showing off the New Brunswick and Piscataway campuses, as well as meeting some of her would-be teammates virtually.
on the 1965 Rutgers football team |
on the Rutgers freshman wrestling team |
"I was really excited to get on board with these new coaches because they are super locked into making this program great," DeLo explained. "Honestly, they made my decision very easy. I knew my decision to transfer was going to be solely based on the coaches and the culture of the environment, which I really loved about Rutgers."
The name Rutgers, however, is not totally unfamiliar to the setter who originally hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma. In fact, DeLo is a Scarlet Knight legacy. Her grandparents, Paul and Margaret Mitchell, are both graduates of Rutgers with Paul having suited up for the football and wrestling teams in his day.
"They always talked about how Rutgers was compared academically to the Ivy's," she recalled of her grandparents' memories while also remembering being shown photos from their yearbooks.
While the ability to take to the court for volleyball in the nation's top conference was a major attraction for DeLo, it was those same academics that grandma and grandpa talked about that also helped bring her "To The Banks."
"Growing up in Oklahoma, I think we got like two tornadoes every week," she remembered. "So I grew up watching the severe weather storm chasers all the time and that instilled a passion. Then my senior year of high school in South Carolina, I took an aerospace class and I loved it. If I had have never taken that class, I would have never known I love meteorology."
Majoring in meteorology requires DeLo to balance her time on the court with classes in math, chemistry and physics to master the understanding of weather, climate and the processes of the atmosphere.
Hard work, though, is nothing new to DeLo.
During her scholastic career, she was a two-time Under Armour Honorable Mention All-American and the 2018 South Carolina AA Player of the Year as she racked up 336 kills, 881 assists, 442 digs and 128 aces during her career.
"I think I can be a leader on the court," she said. "I talk a lot and I work hard. That's one thing that I love that our coaches really implement. They want us to work as hard as we can and they always push us to work as hard as we can. They are trying everything for us to be ready to play in the Big Ten. We have improved so much as a team."
DeLo's journey to the court might have been a little bit more predictable than the weather.
With older sisters playing the sport, the younger DeLo, not yet old enough to remain home by herself, accompanied her mom to all their tournaments. With none of the moms wanting to take stats, eight-year-old DeLo volunteered.
"I loved it and I learned the game before I played," she recollected. "I think that's why I caught on so quickly."
A few years later, DeLo took the court never questioning whether (not weather) or not she would play in college.
DeLo, meanwhile, has a forecast for the future of Rutgers volleyball.
"The team's goal would be to surprise everyone," she predicted. "I feel like we are going to be really good and I don't think a lot of people are expecting it. We want to be one of those teams who will never let the ball drop. You are going to have to work hard to beat us."
As for her personal forecast, DeLo is looking ahead to sporting Scarlet.
"I want to play with my teammates," the redshirt freshman said. "I want to be in that jersey again. It's been so long. I'm just ready to get back on the court and play in my first collegiate game.
"I want to be the best that I can be and I want to represent Rutgers the best way I can."
For previous stories in the Rutgers Volleyball's Dig R Knights Series:
- Senior right side hitter - Beka Kojadinovic
- Senior right side hitter - Kamila Cieslik
- Junior outside hitter - Anastasiia Maksimova
- Senior outside hitter - Yana Kamshilina
- Junior setter - Inna Balyko
- Senior libero - Mary Kate Painter
- Graduate Student middle blocker - Shealyn McNamara
- RU -
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's VolleyballJersey Mic'd with Skylar George
Wednesday, March 25
Rutgers Volleyball Vs Washington Highlights
Friday, November 28
Rutgers Volleyball vs. Oregon Highlights
Thursday, November 27
Rutgers Volleyball vs. Ohio State Highlights
Monday, November 24
