Volleyball: Richmond-Burton junior Elissa Furlan commits to Wright State

At 5-foot-9, Richmond-Burton’s Elissa Furlan was unsure if it was realistic for her to play college volleyball at her natural position at outside hitter.

There were times throughout the recruiting process when she felt her best shot of reaching the next level might require a position switch to libero.

In the end, Furlan was determined to find her dream school as an outside. On April 25, the Rockets junior announced her commitment to NCAA Division-I Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio.

Wright State was one of the first schools Furlan talked to and she quickly was drawn to the close-knit culture at the school. Furlan wanted to make her decision by the end of April, with Wright State and Grand Valley State as her top two options.

Wright State is coming off a 21-11 season in which it won Horizon League regular-season and tournament titles. The Warriors, led by coach Travers Green, have reached the NCAA D-I Championships in four out of the past five seasons.

“In the conversations I was having, I really wanted to find a family-like environment,” Furlan said. “And the way they just talked about the girls, it was like they were their own kids. They have a fairly small roster, so I feel like I can get that close connection with the girls.

“The [Horizon League] is very competitive. It has been for many years. I watched the whole [Horizon League] tournament, and I loved the competitiveness they showed. The vibe they bring to the court is something I’m really looking forward to.”

Furlan was a Northwest Herald All-Area honorable mention selection during the fall and was second on R-B with 253 kills, also posting 51 aces and 212 digs. The 29-win Rockets were unbeaten in the Kishwaukee River Conference and won a conference title for the first time since 2016.

Furlan explored playing libero during the club season and worked on her passing skills in case that was the best route to find a spot on a college roster. This past high school season, she fell in love all over again as an outside.

She does vertical training and now is in the middle of track and field season, where she does both high and long jumps. Furlan took sixth in the long jump at Tuesday’s Kishwaukee River Conference Meet at 4.46 meters (14-7.75).

“As a shorter hitter, I feel like I definitely have to be a smarter player. I’m not going to be that 6-2 girl who’s going to go up and slam a ball every time. I may have to be that girl who’s going to go up for a swing and then pop a little tip or even roll shot down the line.”

Furlan started playing volleyball when she was about 8 years old. She also played floor hockey for many years and said that is where she got her competitive fire.

“I watched the whole [Horizon League] tournament, and I loved the competitiveness they showed. The vibe they bring to the court is something I’m really looking forward to.”

—  Elissa Furlan, Richmond-Burton junior

“Every Friday, me and my dad would drive to Fox Lake and I would play floor hockey,” Furlan said. “We’d have goggles, gym shoes and plastic pucks, and we would run around for about two hours. It was the coolest experience of my life. And then when I got to seventh grade I played basketball, but I decided that volleyball was just more rewarding to me. The adrenaline rush I’d get from getting a kill or passing a perfect three just felt amazing.”

Richmond-Burton will bring back the majority of its team next season, including junior setter Alex Hopp (739 assists, 75 aces), as it tries to win back-to-back KRC titles. Maggie Uhwat, who led the team with 315 kills in her last season and will play next year at D-I Central Michigan, has been a big influence on Furlan.

“I’m really going to miss her, she’s going to do great things in college,” Furlan said. “She was one of the big reasons that I really pushed to play at the highest level. I really look up to her as both a player and as a person. She is one of the most down-to-earth people that I know.”

Furlan hopes her story as an undersized hitter can serve as motivation for anybody in a similar situation.

“I want to show young girls that being short doesn’t matter,” she said. “You can still push yourself to be the best version of yourself and play at any level.”