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University of North Carolina Athletics
Meet the Heels: #12 Alexis Engelbrecht
April 19, 2024 | Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Carolina volleyball team welcomed three mid-year enrollees to the team in January. One of those newest Tar Heels is a Tar Heel born, Alexis Engelbrecht, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker who is a graduate transfer from Iowa State.
During her four-year career in Ames, Engelbrecht played in 91 matches and 311 sets, leading Iowa State in blocks as a junior (134) and tallying the second-most on the team as a senior (53). She recorded a combined 292 total blocks, 429 kills, 96 digs, 35 solo blocks, 26 assists and 12 service aces in four seasons.
In December, she graduated with a degree in criminal justice and is currently pursuing her master's degree in applied program studies at UNC.
We sat down with the Cary, N.C. native, to ask about her decision to transfer to UNC, her return to North Carolina and what the team has been working on, on and off the court, this spring season.
Q: When you were in the transfer portal, what things were you looking for and what stuck out about UNC?
Engelbrecht: "The major thing I was looking for is that I wanted to join a team with really good chemistry. I wanted to join a group of girls who were willing to work hard and coaches that supported that. Another thing was that Coach Schall coached me in club when I was 16. So, when UNC reached out and I realized that he was the coach here, I knew I really wanted to come here."
Q: You're originally from Cary, right up the road from UNC. How does it feel to come home and play your final year of college volleyball in front of your friends and family?
Engelbrecht: "It is so amazing. When I committed to UNC, people that I hadn't talked to in four or five years, people from high school or old club coaches, texted saying they couldn't wait to see you play. It seems like everyone is a Tar Heel fan. So that has been amazing.
Q: What have you seen in the team, on and off the court, and what style of volleyball Carolina is going to play?
Engelbrecht: "We're in the middle of a culture change here and we're deciding who we want to be as a team going forward. There has been a lot of growth since we've been here. Not only in chemistry in how the team plays together, but also like skill and work-ethic wise. Every week it feels like we're getting better and better and figuring out who we want to be and how we want to look."
Q: What are some of things you enjoy doing off the court?
Engelbrecht: "I'm trying to be a reader this year and read 25 books this year. I'm well on my way – I'm at seven right now. I love to hang out and spend time with my family. I think we're also doing a good job of getting the team together outside of volleyball this year. We've been going to the pool recently because the weather has been beautiful. I'm trying to get outside and enjoy the weather and hang out with my team as much as I can so we can build chemistry.
Q: What are you looking forward to in your first season as a Tar Heel and final season of college volleyball?
Engelbrecht: "I'm most looking forward to, and currently enjoying, the culture at UNC. I didn't really know what it meant to be a Tar Heel before I came here, but immediately I've been thrown into this awesome community where I'm surrounded by greatness all the time. I will be eating lunch and sitting next to a group of national champions and that has been a really cool thing to be a part of."
Stay up to date with Carolina Volleyball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
During her four-year career in Ames, Engelbrecht played in 91 matches and 311 sets, leading Iowa State in blocks as a junior (134) and tallying the second-most on the team as a senior (53). She recorded a combined 292 total blocks, 429 kills, 96 digs, 35 solo blocks, 26 assists and 12 service aces in four seasons.
In December, she graduated with a degree in criminal justice and is currently pursuing her master's degree in applied program studies at UNC.
We sat down with the Cary, N.C. native, to ask about her decision to transfer to UNC, her return to North Carolina and what the team has been working on, on and off the court, this spring season.
Q: When you were in the transfer portal, what things were you looking for and what stuck out about UNC?
Engelbrecht: "The major thing I was looking for is that I wanted to join a team with really good chemistry. I wanted to join a group of girls who were willing to work hard and coaches that supported that. Another thing was that Coach Schall coached me in club when I was 16. So, when UNC reached out and I realized that he was the coach here, I knew I really wanted to come here."
Q: You're originally from Cary, right up the road from UNC. How does it feel to come home and play your final year of college volleyball in front of your friends and family?
Engelbrecht: "It is so amazing. When I committed to UNC, people that I hadn't talked to in four or five years, people from high school or old club coaches, texted saying they couldn't wait to see you play. It seems like everyone is a Tar Heel fan. So that has been amazing.
Q: What have you seen in the team, on and off the court, and what style of volleyball Carolina is going to play?
Engelbrecht: "We're in the middle of a culture change here and we're deciding who we want to be as a team going forward. There has been a lot of growth since we've been here. Not only in chemistry in how the team plays together, but also like skill and work-ethic wise. Every week it feels like we're getting better and better and figuring out who we want to be and how we want to look."
Q: What are some of things you enjoy doing off the court?
Engelbrecht: "I'm trying to be a reader this year and read 25 books this year. I'm well on my way – I'm at seven right now. I love to hang out and spend time with my family. I think we're also doing a good job of getting the team together outside of volleyball this year. We've been going to the pool recently because the weather has been beautiful. I'm trying to get outside and enjoy the weather and hang out with my team as much as I can so we can build chemistry.
Q: What are you looking forward to in your first season as a Tar Heel and final season of college volleyball?
Engelbrecht: "I'm most looking forward to, and currently enjoying, the culture at UNC. I didn't really know what it meant to be a Tar Heel before I came here, but immediately I've been thrown into this awesome community where I'm surrounded by greatness all the time. I will be eating lunch and sitting next to a group of national champions and that has been a really cool thing to be a part of."
Stay up to date with Carolina Volleyball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
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