In this article we tell you more about student-athlete Thijs van der Wal, in addition, at the bottom of this article you will find the video in which Thijs tells more about himself.

Sports: Volleyball
Entry semester: Fall 2024

16-year-old Thijs van der Wal has tried several sports from a young age. But, he found volleyball the most interesting, definitely after watching the World Beach Volleyball Championship Netherlands – Brazil. That’s when he knew it for sure, volleyball is what he wanted to do. He started at his local volleyball club but quickly grew to a bigger club and found the right team to play with.

Thijs is a social person and makes friends quickly. He likes to meet up with friends from school or volleyball in his free time. Furthermore, he is very honest and polite. As an athlete, Thijs is driven and always strives to become a better version of himself. He is good at reflecting on himself and his team and can handle stress well. He finds it important to have a good atmosphere on the team.

Because American universities can do that like no other, he wants to study and play volleyball at a university at the same time. His dream is to one day play professional volleyball in Italy and become a physical therapist to help other athletes.

“When it gets nerve wracking, I am able to keep calm and score the big points” 

Thijs van der Wal

Would you like to see more about Thijs? Check out the video below where he introduces himself!