OSHKOSH – Oshkosh West’s Sydnee Nelson made her decision on where she’d play collegiate volleyball on Nov. 4, 2024. Three hundred seventy-four days later she put pen to paper and signed to play NCAA Division I volleyball in front of family, friends, coaches and teammates.
“I feel like I was dreaming about this moment for so long,” Nelson said. “Verbally committing is one thing, but actually singing is a whole different thing.”
Nelson will continue her athletic and academic career at Belmont University in Nashville.
“I really love the atmosphere they have there. Their gym is super nice, they have really good equipment for all their athletes,” Nelson said. “The location’s awesome, it’s right in Nashville, but you still have that home feeling because the dorms are a bit nicer and the campus is nice where you don’t feel like you’re in that big city. I built a really good relationship with the coaches and the players right away.”
The outside hitter, Nelson, will finish her senior year at Oshkosh West before going down in July for summer practices.
Nelson said she made one other visit during the recruiting process, and that was to Bradley University, a fellow Missouri Valley Conference school. She played club volleyball for FC Elite and leaned on people close to her when making the decision on where to play at the next level.
“My club coaches and club directors had a lot to do with it because they were kind of the ones that got me in contact with other schools and I got to talk to them about everything,” Nelson said. “I took my parents insight very strict because they also want what’s best for me.
“With my parents and then my friends were super supportive through it all and I had a lot of people to talk to about it.”
As a senior, Nelson had 407 kills, 185 digs, 38 aces and 23 total blocks. The four-year varsity player finished her high school career with 1,348 kills, 658 digs, 137 aces and 71 total blocks.
“She’s left her mark. The legacy that she leaves behind is bringing it in all phases, not just on match nights, not just for these bigger perceived matches, but she’s the same way she is in a big match as she is in a practice space,” Oshkosh West volleyball coach William Brydon said. “That kind of work ethic and that kind of tenacious pursuit if her goals, that’s going to be the mark that she leaves for us.”
When Nelson lines up for her first swing or receives her first serve donned in Belmont blue and Belmont red, Brydon laid out what type of player Belmont fans can expect to see.
“They’re getting an all-around stud,” Brydon said. “They’re getting the total package and someone that can do it in all phases and (she) just hasn’t even begun to reach her full potential yet. She’s just going to keep getting better.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Ben Schultz at BSchultz@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @benschultz52.
