Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus Florida Southwestern on April 4, 2026 at 12 p.m.
12 p.m.
Women's Volleyball
vs. Florida Southwestern
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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Photo by: JC Ridley/Owlpix.com
Summer Features Series: Cailea Gibbs
6/29/2018 1:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
    Rising junior Cailea Gibbs is no stranger to adapting to the task at hand at a moment's notice. The high-flying middle blocker's ability to quickly adjust to any in-game situation has made her an invaluable member of the Owls squad.
    Gibbs' volleyball career began eight years ago, more than 1,500 miles from Boca Raton in Kansas. The Wichita native's first exposure to the game came from watching her father and stepmother play in a local YMCA league. At the age of 12, she also joined a YMCA league, with her dad serving as her first coach.
    Although she also played basketball and participated in track and field, volleyball quickly became her favorite pastime.
    "Having my dad as my coach really piqued my interest in the sport," Gibbs says. "Match days became a big family bonding experience."
    Gibbs made the varsity volleyball team at Maize South High School as a freshman. Just as she began to come into her own and stand out as a recruit, she received some news that would alter the course of her life: her dad was relocating the family to Florida for a job opportunity.
    "At the time, I thought having to leave behind my childhood friends, and everything I had accomplished in my athletic career was the worst thing to ever happen to me," Gibbs says.
    Looking back, Gibbs believes the move to the "Sunshine State" was a blessing in disguise. Moving to Florida gave her the opportunity to grow as a player and compete at a level she had never experienced in Kansas
    After settling in Viera, Florida, Gibbs picked up where she left off on the court, joining the Orlando Volleyball Academy. As a member of the nation's fifth-ranked travel team, Gibbs spent most of her weekends travelling to huge tournaments and qualifiers competing with the country's most talented recruits.
    At Viera High School, she was a three-year varsity letter winner. During her sophomore year, she decided to solely focus on volleyball, which earned her All-Cape Coast first-team honors each of those seasons. She was also named All-Space Coast during her junior and senior year.
    During her freshman season at FAU, Gibbs steadily worked her way into the Owls rotation, appearing in 16 matches, starting four. She had a season-high eight blocks against UNF and a season-best six kills against Drake.
    Gibbs believes the transition to college was easy because the rising senior class helped the large incoming freshman class successfully navigate their first year.
    "The seniors did a great job of taking seven freshmen under their wing and guiding us through our first year," Gibbs says.
    Going into her second year, Gibbs pushed herself to new limits in the weight room as she sought more playing time.
    During the 2017 season, she appeared in 17 matches, starting seven. Her favorite memory from her sophomore year came against WKU — in which she had a season-high 10 digs.
    "WKU was a turning point in the season because we took a good team to five sets," Gibbs says. "It was bittersweet because we knew we could have beat them but the dynamics, high intensity and fun we had during the match are still memorable."
    Headed into her junior year, Gibbs hopes to improve on blocking. Over the spring season, she and teams other middle blockers have worked immensely to improve for the 2018 season.
    As a rising upperclassman, she hopes to continue having a strong verbal presence on the team, leading by example.
    "I'm excited to see what's in store this season," Gibbs says. "I feel it this year — we are going to win the conference. I know a lot of teams say that, but with the amount of growth we have had both team-wise and skill wise. I think we will do very well."
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