Mollie Rupp chose volleyball, then became one of Section 8-4A's best scoring threats
Oct. 26—Mollie Rupp may have been destined to be a volleyball star at Bemidji High School, but it wasn't always a certainty.
Entering her eighth-grade school year in 2020, Rupp faced a choice between playing tennis or volleyball. She'd confront the same decision the following two fall seasons.
"Throughout my whole childhood, I was a volleyball player," Rupp said. "I always did volleyball, and then I'd do tennis in the summers just for fun. I enjoyed it."
In 2020, the two schedules "didn't really overlap," according to BHS tennis head coach Kyle Fodness, and Rupp managed to play both. A desire to learn under an established senior leadership group kept her on the tennis courts in 2021. But starting in 2022, Rupp opted for volleyball, and it stuck. The results have been bountiful, to say the least.
"I can trust Mollie," said junior setter Margie Anderson. "So when we are down or something, I know if I give it to Mollie, she'll put the ball away. I have a huge trust in her. It's nice having Mollie as an outlet to know that she can put (points) away. ... She pounds (the ball). She can hit it hard."
Since joining volleyball full time ahead of her sophomore year in 2022, Rupp has attained eye-popping statistics while instantly emerging as the Lumberjacks' best hitter. In 2022, Rupp led Bemidji with 288 kills while splitting attempts with seniors Beth Bolte and Elizabeth Oster. In her two-year varsity career, she's averaged about six kills per set and has already compiled 693 in total.
This season, Rupp is the Jacks' featured attacker, and she's catapulted her hitting prowess to a higher level while also becoming a more well-rounded player. Rupp hardly rotates out of matches, and her ability to play in the back row has led to impressive dig totals while allowing her to make more of an overall impact.
"She's handling her responsibility on the team so much better than where it was last year," said BHS head coach Alicia Kriens. "(The) pressure to be able to convert when we've lost a few points in a row — (when) that ball comes to her and we need her to put the ball away, she can do it. She doesn't feel that pressure anymore. And after a few mistakes, she's able to pull herself out of it right away."
Kriens has said that Anderson sometimes desires to set the ball to Rupp on every point, and with the latter's success rate, one can understand why. Rupp's connection with her fellow junior dates back years.
It was strengthened when the two played as a doubles tandem during tennis season in 2020. Anderson admitted there was even a moment right before the 2021 fall season that she thought she would continue on the tennis team, as Rupp did.
But like Rupp, Anderson instead opted for volleyball and has already compiled 2,000 career set assists in three seasons. She missed having Rupp alongside during her freshman year, and she's delighted in Rupp's return to the court since then.
"It sucked (without her), because I love playing any sport with Mollie," Anderson said. She's one of my best friends. It's so fun to be on any court with her. ... She's super talkative, positive, anything you want in a teammate. We connect really well, and it's fun having that (chemistry) on the court together."
Unsurprisingly, Rupp has aspirations to play volleyball beyond high school, and the interest is mutual. North Dakota State has already reached out to her, as has Jamestown, and there will surely be plenty more to come.
It's still very early in the journey. Rupp is once again defining what she wants her sporting expedition to look like, but this time, the sport of choice is clear. The destination is what's up in the air.
"That's definitely the goal," Rupp said. "Right now, I'm going through the recruiting process. So (I'm) getting my name out there, going on visits and campus tours and meeting with coaches. It's stressful right now, but I know in the long run that it'll all work out. ... It seems like such a slow process. But I also understand that all the coaches are in their own seasons, and there's so much going on. So I'm definitely working on my patience right now."
Rupp has collegiate bloodlines to lean on as she navigates her recruitment. Her mother, Stephanie, competed for the volleyball team at Concordia-Moorhead and coached Rupp in youth volleyball. Rupp's father, Corey, skated as a defenseman for the Cobbers' men's hockey team and served as an alternate captain during his final season in 1998-99.
All that pedigree doesn't go anywhere without effort. And as Rupp readies to approach another mile marker in her volleyball career, her drive to improve as an all-around player is paramount.
"The next step for her is to continue to give her more weapons, meaning more shots in her backpack that she can whip out at any time," Kriens said. "Getting her to really see that block. We don't see huge blocks all the time with our schedule. ... Getting her to hit from different areas on the court based on where she is in serve receive. Getting her to move around.
"We're going to work a lot more still on back row. That was something that we talked about last year and this year. Reading (the opposing) hitter is something that we've talked about, and she feels like that's something she could elevate in her game. She's great in the front row, but how can we up her game on the defensive side?"
Much of Rupp's ultimate determination will come down to personal preference. One thing is for sure, though — her admiration for the game ensures that she'll make the most of what's ahead.
"I love playing volleyball," Rupp said. "That's what keeps me going. It's really hard to play volleyball when you don't love it. That's definitely given me so much drive and motivation. My passion for the game, my passion to be better, to get up early in the morning and work out, (I know) that it's going to improve my game on the court."
