All-Minnesota Volleyball Player of the Year: Champlin Park's Carly Gilk

To Carly Gilk, the players who won Champlin Park's first state title in 2018 weren't just on-the-court role models. They were her babysitters.

Her friend Reese Axness' mom, Allison, is an assistant coach for the Rebels, so some of the high school players would watch the two middle school girls. The pair swam at future University of Wisconsin setter Izzy Ashburn's pool and attended youth camps led by former Rebels.

"Watching those girls celebrate after they won the state championship was something that I've dreamed of experiencing," Gilk said. "I really want that, not only for myself but for everyone on this team to experience."

Gilk is one of eight seniors on a Champlin Park team (28-3) that is a heavy Class 4A title contender. Committed to the Gophers, the 6-2 outsider hitter led Champlin Park in kills (434) and digs (300) after the Rebels beat Maple Grove 3-2 to win the Section 6 championship.

"We just saw right away, this kid is athletic and dynamic," Champlin Park coach John Yunker said. "She has a drive and determination to be a good volleyball player … and just be good at whatever she does, to be honest."

Gilk has been named to the All-State team three times, but until this year she had never played in the state tournament. For three consecutive years, Champlin Park lost in section tournament play to eventual state-champion Wayzata.

Gilk got her start on a different court, basketball. But she tagged around with Axness and her mom at Roseville, where she was then coaching. By the time middle school started, the pair was playing club volleyball — first at Synergy Volleyball, before Gilk jumped to Minnesota Select.

As a freshman at Champlin Park, Gilk was relegated to only three rotations on the front row. She stepped into six rotations as a sophomore and has since become not just a powerful arm with a toolbox of well-placed attacks but a key part of the back row.

"There's a difference between a good defender and a great defender, and it's not as much skills. It's determination," Yunker said.

He recalled the Rebels being well on their way to a comfortable win in a recent tournament match when Gilk dived headfirst into the bench for a dig. Maybe unnecessary, but not unnoticed.

"Her teammates see that and go, 'It doesn't matter what the score is or who we're playing, we're going to go and compete hard,' " Yunker said.

Outgoing and itching to travel, Gilk wanted to attend an out-of-state college as recruiting interest picked up. But her cousin gave her a tour around the University of Minnesota's campus, and Gilk's relationship with the Gophers coaching staff strengthened. She warmed to the idea of playing in front of a home crowd.

Once she committed, she was suddenly "Carly Gilk, future Gopher," which carried a certain weight in the Minnesota volleyball scene.

"It was obviously a weight lifted off my shoulders," Gilk said. "But then, it's like, Minnesota is a really great school for volleyball. I need to be playing to these standards. I need to be playing my best game all the time."

But that's impossible, and Gilk grew to understand that, and give herself grace.

"Volleyball is an up-and-down sport. You have good games, you have bad games," Gilk said. "You have to trust your training and just know that you're not going to get better unless you make mistakes."