VU Athlete Profile: Savannah Evans

Freshman volleyball player Savannah Evans. Recruited from East Bakersfield High in Bakersfield, California, Evans began her volleyball career in the 5th grade. Though initially her sport of choice was gymnastics, Evans was inspired by watching a close friend’s sister playing and decided to try out for her after school team. Evans would continue to play all throughout elementary school and Jr. high, and as the years passed, she sharpened her skills and became an impressive player.

During her high school career, Evans stood out as a fantastic player on her team. Her skills and instincts on the court earned the attention of coaches from several universities. Two of Evans’ top choices included Westmont and Vanguard. When Savannah’s favorite school Vanguard, called and approached her with interest, she decided to take a chance on being recruited as a volleyball player as well. Savannah visited Vanguard for a recruitment camp and instantly fell in love, not only with the volleyball team and amazing players, but also the community.

Evans describes her recruiting trip, ” I decided to get a tour, and when I signed up for the tour you could choose if you wanted to meet a coach, so I said why not. And right after she emailed me and invited me to a recruiting camp, and I loved the players and the atmosphere. When I came back for my second tour, I got to see more of the school, and I loved how close knit the community was. The weather and location are great too.”

After the tour and connecting with coach Eryn Leja, Evans decided that Vanguard was definitely the place for her.

Evans is studying Kinesiology, and is hoping to either become an Athletic Trainer or work in the rehabilitation field for injured athletes. In the meantime, Evans voiced some high goals for her volleyball career, “My long term goal would be that by Junior/Senior year, I would be better than the Junior and Senior on the team now, learn from them and become a captain and significant player for my team.”

Evans work ethic and dedication to not only her craft, but her teammates are proving to bring her a step closer to those goals each and every day.

Evans also values certain hobbies and activities off the court. She wants to go backpacking in Europe and Australia for a year’s time after she graduates from Vanguard. Evans mentioned she was a singer in her high school choir for 4 years and also was a part of the worship team at her church. Evans also enjoys hikes with her boyfriend, eating her favorite food, sushi and the color orange. She also has a distinctly unique love for cats.

Savannah Evans is one of the many freshman student athletes that continues to carry on the Gold Pride tradition. So next time you attend a volleyball game, be sure to cheer extra loud for Defensive Specialist #9, Savannah Evans.