Part of a series of stories featuring Rocket seniors who are graduating this spring.

By Chris Cullum, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

TOLEDO, Ohio - In many ways, Zoe Birnbrich will leave the University of Toledo volleyball team in a class all her own. Which is fitting, because that's exactly how she entered the program as well.

Birnbrich, who played her last match for the Toledo volleyball team last fall and is set to graduate with a degree in recreational therapy, finished her career with a .308 hitting percentage, second in program history. She hit .334 as a senior and .329 as a junior, which rank second and third in Rocket history, respectively.

A Dublin, Ohio native, Birnbrich picked Toledo over a few other schools that were within a reasonable driving distance of Columbus. When she arrived on campus in the fall of 2016, she did so as the only freshman on the team.

"It was very cool but scary at the same time," Birnbrich said. "Having no one to go back to the dorm with and talk about how practice went, or not having someone with the same schedule as me, that was hard."

Birnbrich was lucky in that her roommate was a Toledo soccer player from the same hometown as her, Abby Demboski. But the volleyball and soccer teams had opposite schedules, so there were many weekends where one was home while the other was on the road. The situation definitely provided its challenges.

"I was so scared to miss morning lifts if my alarm did not go off because no one could get into the dorm and get me," Birnbrich said.

On the court, Birnbrich proved to be a valuable asset for the Rockets as a freshman. A middle blocker, she ranked fifth in the MAC in blocks/set (0.95) and started 19 of the 24 matches in which she played.

Like any student, Birnbrich had to make some adjustments to college life. She didn't have a problem handling a college-level academic load, nor was she struggling with the independence of living away from home. But when it came time to step on the volleyball court, it was a different experience than what she was used to.

"It was different," Birnbrich said. "Going from having a best friend, Alli Sabol, who I played high school and club volleyball with to never having her on the court with me was an adjustment. Then I go to a team that already has their friend groups and I am the only one trying to fit into one of the them, that was tough."

Of course, as the beginning of this story suggests, Birnbrich had no problems eventually settling in as a Rocket. The 2018 All-MAC honoree's name can be found in multiple categories of Toledo's all-time record book.

And while Birnbrich may not have had any classmates to celebrate with on senior day, she did have one person there who saw every match she played and was there for every practice in between. Assistant coach Bethany Lokken was hired in the spring of 2016, and she is someone who Birnbrich credited with helping her not just as a freshman, but throughout her whole career.

"She was my position coach so she worked with me every day on the court," Birnbrich said. "She helped me through everything in college and was the only person who stayed in my life at Toledo from freshman year to senior year."

Lokken, who enjoyed an excellent college volleyball career as a middle blocker at Gardner-Webb, provided Birnbrich with guidance not just on the court, but off it as well.

"She was someone I went to with life questions," Birnbrich said. "And she also loves the show The Office, so the connection was there from the start."

"Zoe is the first Rocket I had the privilege of coaching all four years," Lokken said. "I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with her throughout her career since I primarily train our middles.

"From her first days on campus to the end of her senior season, I saw a ton of growth -- not only as an athlete on the court, but also as a student, a teammate, and a person," she continued. "Her on-court growth was tremendous and her ability to lead by example both in and out of the gym was a huge asset to our program in her time as a Rocket."

"Zoe was a great player and a fun person to be around," added head coach Jason Oliver. "I know that we saw great improvement in her on and off the floor, and she dedicated a lot of time and energy to this program. I will miss our conversations and will look forward to seeing how she impacts the world around her."

A 14-week internship at a behavioral and mental health inpatient facility in her hometown of Dublin will provide the final credits she needs to earn her recreational therapy degree. While Birnbrich was fortunate enough to not lose any volleyball competitions to the coronavirus pandemic, she, like all seniors across the country, did lose her final months as a college student. Her family's plans to celebrate graduation in Toledo were scrapped, as were any other end-of-the-year celebrations.

"My recreational therapy class of 45 people was going to do something altogether," Birnbrich said. "So I am sad that I never got to say goodbye to those friends."

Zoe Birnbrich spent four years making an impact for the Rockets on the volleyball court. Soon enough, she'll be making a much larger impact in the lives of people she works with as a UToledo graduate.

"My classes and professors in my major really prepared me for life after college," Birnbrich said. "We had to complete 250 hours of clinical experiences with many different populations so I feel confident leading group sessions and knowing I can impact my clients' lives."

Previous Stories on Rocket Graduates
April 13 - Despite Setbacks, Jordan Doore Never Stops Running
April 10 - Mariella Santucci Made the Most of Her Collegiate Experience
April 8 - Grant Godfrey is Ready to Pursue His Dreams
April 6 - Obi Anunike Made His Own Impact with the Rockets