Aimufua Commits to Play Volleyball at Penn

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis volleyball player Aiyu Aimufua will play volleyball at the University of Pennsylvania next fall after committing to the Ivy League program this spring.

“I had been recruited by a few Ivy League schools since the end of my freshmen year,” said Aimufua before a recent practice. “The Ivys have always been among the top schools on my list. But, I had to go to the East Coast myself and take all the tours and meet the coaches and players myself to figure out my favorite. I liked Penn the most because it is in a big city (Philadelphia) but still has the small campus vibe where everyone knows everyone and it is still urban.”

Aimufua will play for Head Coach Kate Schumacher-Cawley, an All-American and NCAA champion at Penn State, who enters her first season leading the Quakers. She previously coached the last 14 seasons at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

“Obviously it is a really good academic school,” said Aimufua. “Athletics it is right up there too and usually among the top three in the Ivy League. It is one of those schools where you never leave without knowing more than when you came in. There are a lot of job opportunities straight out of undergrad, opportunities for graduate school and to play professionally overseas. It is exciting.”

Aimufua has been a three-year letter winner for the Troubadours, earning All-Delta League honors as a junior as the SF advanced to the CIF NorCal semifinals. She recorded a career-best 206 kills last season while hitting a team-best 32.3 percent. She also led the team with a Delta League leading 106 blocks.

“She has grown into a dominant force at the net,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “She is determined to make this season her best season and work towards becoming a player that sees court time as a freshman. She is a natural leader and always has been. She has come into her own this year in terms of leading the team. She is working very hard and is very positive. Her dream was to play at Penn and she worked hard to make that dream come true.”

Aimufua is excited to tackle the new challenges that await her, including the addition of snow into her life.

“I love the snow and I have never lived in snow but I have loved going up to Tahoe at Christmas,” said Aimufua. “It will be really cool to live somewhere it snows a lot. I will miss California and my friends and family but I am excited to see what the East Coast has in store for me.”

Aiyu, who lives in El Dorado Hills, has dreamed of playing volleyball in college.

“It is huge to continue my career in college,” said Aimufua. “I think it is most high school athletes’ goal to play in college. I am really excited to take the next step and not have my senior year be in the end of my career.”

The Quakers received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2016-17 academic year and ranked among the top five schools in the nation in Academic Progress Rate (APR) by the NCAA.

“They have a really high morale in the program,” said Aimufua. “They are all excited to be there and work hard and finish as high as they can in the Ivy League and compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. It was very high energy.”

She will be one of the senior leaders on the team this season.

“We have a really stacked team this year,” said Aimufua. “Hopefully we can come together and make the season last as long as possible.”

The Troubies finished third in the Delta League in 2016 and advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs before losing Whitney in the semifinals. SF rebounded to beat Whitney in the NorCals before losing to eventual finalist Valley Christian.

“I feel like we learned at the end of the season how important it is to rely on each other and not play for ourselves,” said Aimufua. “You cannot win the game with one person. You need the entire bench and court. We are going to start from the beginning, setting a really high standard working and achieving our goals together.”

Aimufua will participate in the Fall Signing Day event at the school in November.