Volleyball Standout Colby Billhardt: UConn 'A Perfect Fit'

Colby Billhardt says she will feel an "overwhelming sense of pride" when she joins the University of Connecticut volleyball team as a freshman in the fall.

The former Darien standout will be the only Connecticut native on a roster that includes players from California, Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois and Kentucky.

In fact, Billhardt—who won four state championships and lost only one match during her high school career—is the first in-state recruit for the Huskies in four years.

"It makes me feel really accomplished," she said. "I've worked very hard to fulfill my dream of going to the school I always wanted to go to. To represent my state is an unnatural feeling."

While she briefly looked at a number of other schools, including Pittsburgh, she began exploring UConn as a sophomore and decided early in the recruiting process that Storrs was the place for her.

She wanted a big campus and immediately hit if off with UConn's coaches, the wife and husband tandem of head coach Holly Strauss-O'Brien and assistant Tim O'Brien.

"They were very aggressive with me [in the recruiting] and I was very aggressive with them," Billhardt said. "It was just a perfect fit."

Billhardt actually committed to UConn in August, but because she is not on scholarship, the school didn't officially announce the signing until Tuesday.

"Colby is a physical and athletic player," Strauss-O'Brien said. "She has potential to be a pin player or middle hitter."

Known for her competitiveness, Billhardt was a two-time all-state and all-FCIAC player as an outside hitter at Darien and served as the Blue Wave's captain during her senior season. She also was a member of the National Honor Society.

"Her passion for the game and pride to be a UConn Husky is contagious to those around her," Strauss-O'Brien added.

One of four incoming freshmen, Billhardt will be part of a young team that included five freshmen and four sophomores last season.

The Huskies have qualified for the Big East tournament in each of the last four years. Last season, they lost to Cincinnati in the quarterfinals, finishing with an overall mark of 14-17.

"Their program is growing," Billhardt said. "They're trying to become a powerhouse in the Big East."

Billhardt is part of a volleyball-playing family, as younger brother, Calder, a senior-to-be, is the captain of Darien's boys team and also earned all-state and all-FCIAC honors.

She credits her younger sibling, who also hopes to play Division I volleyball, for steering her toward UConn.

"Even though he's younger than me, he's had a big influence on me because he's so dedicated to the sport," she said. "He's pushed me to work at it and go as far as I can."