By Georgia Blair — Staff Writer
No stranger to the sand, Australian-born junior Caitlin Bettenay has made the 7,000-mile journey to pursue her dream of competing in volleyball at the collegiate level.
The 5-foot-11 junior hails from the “Sunshine Coast” in Queensland, Australia, a place known for its white sandy beaches.
She has already competed in a world championship for the Australian U-17 team and one day hopes to become an Olympian.
Before her volleyball career began, Bettenay was a track-and-field superstar, specifically high jump. She broke numerous high jump records at school.
It was her skills that put her on the volleyball map and introduced her to the sport in high school.
“She has tried so many sports and was good at most of them,” said Melissa Bettenay, Caitlin’s mother. “But track-and-field was where she found themost success at a young age.”
She was first recruited to the sport after being spotted by high school coach Tim Wilson at the age of 15. Just 18 months of volleyball was all it took for her to break into the youth national team.
“I immediately fell in love,” Bettenay said. “I love the team aspect, the competitiveness and the athleticism it takes to play.”
Melissa said her daughter was talented at every sport she tried her hand at, but she was exceptional at high jump and the 100 and 200-meter sprints.
A college scholarship for a 17-year-old Australian volleyball player was hard to come by. Bettenay was able to secure her bid to come to the United States with an offer from Portland State straight out of high school.
According to the NCAA, there were only 931 Australians competing as student athletes in the United States college system in 2018.
Bettenay’s journey to SJSU was not a simple one. The junior played two years at Portland State before deciding that she needed change and said transferring to SJSU was the best choice she made.
“I love the team and the coaches,” Bettenay said. “I love the unique opportunity to play both disciplines, indoor and outdoor.”
As a current member of the Volleyroos, a junior national Australian team, Bettenay’s dream is to compete for the Australian team as a professional and someday go to the Olympics.
“We hate that Caitlin is so far away from us,” said Cameron Bettenay, Caitlin’s father. “But we would never take the opportunity away from her.”
Her parents aren’t able to make the long trek to see her compete, but her dad refuses to miss a minute of play when it is being streamed online — no matter the time difference.
Her parents plan on coming to the States during her senior season to see her play and graduate.
“Caitlin was born to achieve and succeed,” Melissa said. “We miss her so much, but the reward for what she is doing right now is too much to pass up.”
At 17, Bettenay became the youngest women’s indoor volleyball player to represent Australia after only competing for a couple of years.
The junior is a kinesiology major, hoping to complete her masters in physiotherapy upon return to the land down under.
In her 2018 debut season with the Spartans, Bettenay ranked third on the team with 196 kills and ranked top-5 in 20 statistical categories for the indoor volleyball team.
“She worked so hard to get where she is, so as much as wehate (her being on the other side of the world), we fully supporther,” Cameron said. “Her work ethic is what will take her to her destiny.”
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