GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Amanda Ollinger wanted no part of returning to school and intercollegiate athletics.
That doesn't mean she didn't thoroughly enjoy her career playing Division I basketball at the University of Iowa, but playing volleyball in a recreational league in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, allowed her to satisfy her competitive drive and stay in shape as she started her career as a software engineer.
Colorado Mesa assistant volleyball coach Bri Strong saw Ollinger play in a tournament, and the two struck up a conversation.
"She goes, "Oh, man, I would love to coach you,' '' Ollinger recalled. "And I jokingly said, 'Well, I think I still have eligibility.' She was just on me from there and at first, it was a hard 'no' for me. There was no part of me that wanted to go back to college sports. I had reached a burnout and I just didn't think that it was in the cards for me.
"I thought I was done and moving past that in my life. Bri just kept on me, she's like, just come out here to visit, come out for a visit. I came out and met with (beach volleyball coach David) Skaff and the team, saw the place, the campus and just said, I'm going to regret this if I don't do it."
Cedar Bellows was working at a start-up, playing beach volleyball and team handball, six years after her college volleyball career ended. The start-up was on shaky ground, so she started planning her next move.
"The start-up I was with, it became pretty precarious and I didn't know if there's going to be a future there much longer, so I was starting to tee up what do I want to do next? I thought, OK, I should go back to grad school, get a degree, so I came here to get my MBA and play beach volleyball. I hit up Skaff and said, 'Hey, what are the chances that I could come back and play?' not even knowing if I had eligibility left, or if they had a spot. But next thing I knew, I was on my official visit with Amanda and it went so fun, and then I became the butt of every old joke on the team."
The two graduate students, both pursuing MBAs, laugh about being older than their teammates — Ollinger, a 6-foot-1 blocker, is 26 years old and graduated from Iowa in 2020 and Bellows, a 31-year-old 6-foot blocker, got her undergraduate degree at Regis in December of 2016.
They see themselves as the "cool aunts" on the beach volleyball team and agree, running in the sand is much easier on your joints than the hard wood courts of basketball and indoor volleyball.
Bellows is a member of the United States National Team Handball and Beach Team Handball teams, and has her eye on qualifying for the Olympic team handball team in 2028. She's also trying to convince Ollinger to give beach team handball a try.
It's not a mainstream sport in the U.S., and athletes who have played multiple sports gravitate toward team handball. The beach version is akin to water polo on sand, with tactical passing and acrobatic leaping, spinning shots on goal.
Not only do the two contribute on the sand for the Mavericks — Ollinger is playing in the No. 1 spot with Hahni Johnson and Bellows has been paired with different players throughout the lineup, including Sabrina VanDeList — but they're also there to help the athletes prepare for life after college.
"There's always a big transition from when you're playing college sports, you're in that school and playing mode, you have that structure when you're here and you have to kind of make that for yourself once you're done," Bellows said. "There's still lots of competitive outlets out there, even if you're not playing, ride that wave of your competitive spirit and that's going to go a long way in your professional life."
Ollinger went from riding the bench as a freshman to being in the Hawkeyes' starting lineup as a senior.
"I was in a lot of different roles for a Power 5 school, and being able to pass those lessons on that I've learned to younger kids, being in different situations, because not everyone gets to play. Some people play more at different levels, so (I'm) just trying to share my experience and my knowledge of what I've learned and how to deal with some of those mental things off the court you don't always see."
Ollinger, obviously, was all-in on the Hawkeyes in the women's NCAA basketball tournament, enjoying their run to the championship game the past two years after her senior year was cut short by the COVID pandemic. And although she graduated before Caitlyn Clark joined the Hawkeyes, she knows the record-setting guard well.
"I've known her for quite a few years. I mean, when you're a baller, you're a baller, you know who she is, right? I'm really happy for the program, happy for my teammates that are still there, happy to see the success, not only for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but for women's sports in general," said Ollinger, who was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten post player. "It feels pretty cool to say that I was a part of that and that I helped contribute to that and build that."
They're both proud of helping their respective teams lay the foundation for the success and attention women's sports are receiving now — and that they're still in the game.
"It's great to see women's sports absolutely take off, and to have a kid of my own, just being able to see the opportunities come about for sports in general," said Bellows, who has an 11-year-old son. Bellows was a two-time RMAC Academic Honor Roll selection who played outside hitter/middle blocker on the Regis indoor team. She went up against the Mavericks throughout her career, so she knew Skaff, who was Dave Fleming's top assistant before concentrating solely on coaching beach this year. Her former teammates have kidded her about wearing another RMAC school's colors, but said they've all been supportive of her continuing to play.
All college athletes juggle school, practice and game commitments. Bellows and Ollinger have other responsibilities as well. Bellows has her son and his school and activities — she'll get back into the workforce after the season — and Ollinger is working remotely. She logs into work in the morning, takes "a long lunch" for weights and practice — and then logs back into work. Her co-workers and coaches help by being flexible with schedules, and with their MBA courses being online, Ollinger and Bellows coordinate their schedules and do their coursework together.
Their trepidation of a second college athletic career was eased by Skaff, assistant coach Ara Norwood, and their teammates.
"It's never felt like we're older than the team or anything, although we may be, and I think that's a testament to them and welcoming us," Ollinger said, "having that open-arms type of community here."
Bellows agreed: "The coaching staff letting us come in, not knowing how we would blend in with 18-, 19-, 20-year-old teammates, but it's been smooth the whole way."
And there are perks to being the cool aunts on the beach:
"We get the seats on the van that have the most leg room and the beds to ourselves," Bellows said with a grin, "because we are the oldest."
