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Women’s volleyball star, Olympia Hughes has made the most of her time at the University of Denver.

This outside hitter from Casper, Wyo., one of only three returning seniors, led the Pioneers in kills with 325, and kills per game with 3.39 in the 2002 season. She is also an iron woman; Hughes was one of only three players to play all 96 games in the 2002 season and is Denver’s current leader in games played for the 2003 season.

Joining the team as a freshman and playing on the varsity level for the last three years, Hughes has loved the time she has spent at Denver.

“When I first saw the school on a recruiting trip, it was amazing,” she said. “The girls who showed me around were very nice, and it is close to my home. Those are the main reasons that I chose to come to Denver.”

Playing volleyball also brought other benefits, Hughes said. “I have improved my personality as well as improved as an athlete.”

Although the commitment can be strenuous at times, the experience for her, along with knowing the other players, has been a good one.

“I get to come to school early in the year and I already have a group of friends as soon as I get here. I get chances and opportunities that most of the other students would never get.”

“And I get to travel places that I would usually never get to go,” she said.

While growing up in Casper, her sister Natalie helped her improve her game to the level that was needed to play at a Division I school.

“My sister was a great player, and we used to play behind my house,” Hughes said. “She would always kick my ass and that helped me get better and better.”

Another person who helped Hughes is the team’s varsity coach and DU grad, Beth Kuwata.

“[Kuwata] knows the sport extremely well and always provides a good perspective on our game,” Hughes said. “She pushes us hard everyday and we can never do enough work. With motivation like that your game improves rapidly.”

Of all the games that Hughes has ever played, her most memorable one was a game against her home state of Wyoming in her freshman year.

“We just killed them,” Hughes said. “I was a freshman and I played really well so it was a very big moment for me. All of my old friends and family were up in the stands and it just felt really rewarding. It was my best game I ever played at DU.”

When game time comes, Hughes likes to listen to music in the locker room with all her teammates and she also has a pre-game superstition.

“I tie my hair with a colored ribbon,” she said. “If we win the game I will keep it and use it again the next game. If we lose a couple games I will get rid of that one and buy a new one to see if it is any more lucky. I might try different combinations of colors. Whatever works.”

She is in the top 10 at DU for kills per game, attack percentage and block assists in a single season.