Net Difference Olson Forgoes His Prep Sports For Volleyball At Usc

Because he is a two-time All-Greater Spokane League athlete in two sports, it’s not surprising Soren Olson will continue his athletic career at a major university.

What is surprising is that the versatile Lewis and Clark senior will be a non-scholarship volleyball player at Southern Cal next year.

“He wanted to play a sport he could play at the highest level possible,” his father Lance said. “He’s willing to take a chance… . I give him credit for that.”

After two years as a first-team All-GSL tight end, the 195-pound Olson had opportunities to play college football.

And after twice being name to the All-GSL second team in basketball, some small colleges were interested in the 6-foot-3 guard.

But Olson wanted to attend a bigger school.

“I’m not fast enough or big enough for football and I’m not tall enough for basketball (at that level),” Olson said.

Although Olson is not getting athletic scholarship money, USC coach Jim McLaughlin told Olson he was one of four freshmen coming in to fill four spots.

It’s not really a reach for the Trojans. Olson’s sister Kirsti plays for the women’s team after earning GSL and state tournament MVP honors two years ago. And Olson has enough leaping ability to go with his size and strength to be a good volleyball player.

Kirsti’s advice was to make sure he liked the school.

“He has tremendous athletic ability,” McLaughlin said. “He’s the type of guy I want to get my hands on to teach him some volleyball skills.”

Olson caught McLaughlin’s eye at the USC volleyball camp two years ago and was as taken with his personality as his athletic ability.

Promising Olson a spot of the team was easy; not giving him any aid wasn’t. However, McLaughlin said, “That’s not an indication of his ability.” That’s because NCAA men’s volleyball teams only get 4 scholarships to split among 14 to 16 players.

“I enjoy the high tempo,” Olson said. “You can play forever. But this is a challenge, I have a lot of catching up to do.”

Olson began playing volleyball two years ago when classmate Eamon Twohig got him involved with the boys USVBA team his father, Kevin, coaches.

Kevin Twohig, who has played volleyball for more than 20 years, put together a boys volleyball team for the state Centennial Games in 1989 and kept it going.

“We were the only boys team in the state,” Twohig said. “Now there are about eight, mostly on the West Side.”

The Spokane team twice made it out of the regional to the Junior Olympic championships - which is the pinnacle, according to Twohig - and finished in the top 55 of 70 teams.

“We’re 100 percent better than we were five years ago,” Twohig said. “We’re competitive in the Northwest.”

The players come from all over Spokane and many - if they’re not All-GSL football players practice with their school’s girls team.

Twohig said, “We’ve never recruited and we’ve never cut a kid. They self-recruit.”

Last weekend the U-18s finished second in the regional tournament at Spokane Falls Community College.

Twohig and his wife Barbara, who was once a coach at Gonzaga Prep, also have a U-14 team for their other son, Kyle. How far those young players will progress is hard to guess.

“The frustrating part is we can’t get boys volleyball in high school in Washington,” Twohig said. “There are so many positives … volleyball has all the things you like to have kids learn (in athletics) without the contact. I’d like to think my 13-year-old has a chance to play for a state championship before he graduates. That’s the key.”

Because volleyball isn’t widely played in high schools, McLaughlin said many of his players are walk-ons.

That’s what Eamon Twohig plans to do at Vassar in New York, a Division III school that only gives academic aid. That will also aid in spreading the word about boys volleyball in Spokane.