By Setters are the unsung heroes of volleyball. Their roles may be more important than any other position, but they usually take a backseat as outside hitters and opposites receive praise and cheers for crowd-pleasing kills.
49ers setter Connor Olbright is well aware of this, but he isn’t phased one bit.
In fact, Olbright takes pride in the hard work and concentration needed to be an effective setter on a highly-ranked team like Long Beach State.
“I’m pretty much running the show out there, and it comes with a lot of responsibility, but I like the challenge,” Olbright said.
The 49ers’ starting lineup features a slew of powerful, high-flying hitters that post large kill numbers nightly. But those numbers are only high if their setter is playing at a high level. Luckily for the ‘Niners, Connor Olbright is almost always on his A-game.
When Olbright steps on the court, he brings with him a swagger that is visible to only those looking closely. Sometimes it’s just a joke he’s cracking to lighten up his teammates, other times it’s him saying hello to friends on opposing teams, and on occasion he might talk a little smack, getting into the head of opposing players. It’s not arrogance or taunting – just a little strategy at work.
“Some of the times, I’m just joking, but sometimes I like to throw out a little remark to get into their head,” Olbright said.
Take for instance the last time the 49ers took on Cal Baptist at the Pyramid. Olbright focused in on one of their top players, senior Levi Cabral. As Cabral was making an approach, Connor let out a quick-witted jab. As a result, Cabral lost his rhythm and sent his hit straight into the net. Point, Olbright.
Olbright has plenty of tricks up his sleeve thanks to a family that raised him on volleyball. Olbright’s father played professionally and qualified for the 1980 Olympic squad as a setter, his mother played at the University of Houston and overseas, and his older sister was a standout player in college.
One would think that volleyball would’ve been the obvious sport of choice for Olbright, but it wasn’t.
“I didn’t want my dad telling me what to do,” Olbright said.
So he rebelled, broke from the family mold and took to basketball as a mode of escape from life around the net.
It didn’t last long, though, and by the ninth grade, Olbright was the starting setter for El Modena’s varsity squad, just a wee freshman setting and hitting with upperclassmen.
“In the long run, I knew I was going to be a setter, but I played all different positions,” Olbright said.
As a teen, Olbright relished all that the Southern California lifestyle offered him, spending plenty of time at the beach and in the ocean. Even with so much to do, he always brought a volleyball along for the occasional impromptu game.
As a senior and a top Orange County player, Olbright had plenty of colleges vying for his attention, but LBSU stood out more than others. The fact that he could start as freshman and play under head coach Alan Knipe was enough to sway him to LBSU.
Olbright is now wrapping up his third season starting for the ‘Niners and remains the vital glue that holds Knipe’s squad together.
Olbright is just 13 assists shy of breaking 1,000 for his career and is on pace to move up to sixth all-time in assists for the ‘Niners before he leaves The Beach.
However proficient Olbright may be in the assist department, his all-around play should never be underestimated, as he’s just as capable on the blocking and hitting end of the game as any of his teammates.
Olbright will look to lead his team into the final stages of the season as it works toward its goal of a national championship. Whether he achieves it this season or not, he’s still got one year of college play in him.
Olbright said his volleyball career won’t stop at graduation.
“After college I really want to play overseas and make my way up the ranks,” he said.
Olbright’s ultimate goal is to play in the Olympics. Looking at everything he’s achieved up until now, it seems well within his cards.