COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — College Station High School volleyball star Blair Thiebaud is getting ready to start her senior season with the Cougars, but before she dons the purple this fall, she's representing the red, white and blue on the biggest stage this summer.
"I started playing club volleyball in 4th grade and I just kind of fell in love with it and I've been playing ever since," Blair said.
Growing up in a family full of athletes, Blair was immersed in volleyball. She's also had the opportunity to share the court with both her sisters and her mom, Keisha, the assistant varsity coach at College Station High School.
"Pretty early on it became clear that they loved volleyball which I was really excited about. I wasn't gonna force them to choose it, but when they did choose it I was really happy because it's been something that we've shared -- a love for," Keisha Thiebaud said.
"The big moments of like last year when we went to the state semis like sharing that with her was something that was super cool and I'll remember forever," Blair said.
From a young age it was apparent that Blair was a competitor and her passion for volleyball drove her to work hard to become the best.
"Seeing a lot of the unseen work that she's consistently put in over the years from the time she switched to being a setter and being that little one on the wall and laying in her room, you know, setting balls up in the air. She is a very intuitive, thoughtful player. I feel like it's one of the things that sets her apart as a player is her IQ," Keisha said.
So it's no surprise that over the last few years Blair has been invited to the National Training Development Program and played for the USA U19 team.
"I think it's definitely helped me become the player I am today like the coaching is just like unlike any other," Blair said.
But when the U21 roster spots were announced, Blair initially didn't get an invite. That changed in late June when another setter dropped out, and Blair was the next to get the call.
"It's just such a big moment for me, and getting the invitation was just like all of my hard work had paid off," Blair said.
Blair's dream to make it to the Olympics may seem lofty to some, but she's been training for this her whole life.
"My family actually used to have like a 'Thiebaud Olympics' like in our house where we would do all these little competitions and we would have like – a medal ceremony," Blair said.
"She got her name engraved on the trophy like one year. It might have even been the last year that we actually fully did the Olympics. We just as a family love the Olympics and we love Team USA getting to be a part of that is incredible," Keisha said.
And now she's getting another opportunity to represent her country, while continuing to grow as a player.
"This is something I've dreamed about since I was little, so, it's one of the coolest moments of not only like my volleyball career but also my life," Blair said.
After training with Team USA in Colorado Springs for the last two weeks, Blair made the final roster of 12 and will head to Indonesia this week for the 2025 Women's U21 World Championships. When she returns home, she'll try to lead the College Station Cougars to a state title before graduating early and continuing her volleyball career at Louisville.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
