Junior Morgan Coolbaugh verbally committed to the University of California, Davis, to play beach volleyball.

Coolbaugh, a 6-year volleyball veteran, originally started playing with Lafayette Moraga Youth Association (LMYA) and has been part of the Campolindo varsity team since her freshman year.

Coolbaugh played club volleyball before trying beach volleyball, which she “fell in love with.”

Coolbaugh is looking forward to playing under UC Davis coach Ali McColloch. “The coach says success is driven by your hard work so she’s not really worried about the outcomes, it’s more like how hard you’re working,” said Coolbaugh. 

Though she was recruited by “more well-known” schools, Coolbaugh said that she “didn’t really care about the name.”

“I’m glad I didn’t let other people decide [the school]. UC Davis is the perfect fit for me,” said Coolbaugh. In addition to the beach volleyball program, Coolbaugh likes the campus, people, and location of the school.

Coolbaugh’s current beach volleyball coach, Derek Olson, noted that playing in college will be difficult. “It will also be a challenge playing out of her comfort zone and getting used to new styles of coaching and different philosophies. But good athletes make those adjustments and excel,” he said.

Senior Audrey Pak, Coolbaugh’s high school teammate, said that Coolbaugh is a good role model. She is a “very hard worker, all the time in beach and indoor [volleyball]. She has a super good work ethic,” said Pak.

“UC Davis is a program on the rise and in the near future they should be a top program in the country,” said Olson.

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