Notre Dame recruit Sage Olson is making ‘lasting impact’ at Lake Zurich, following in mother’s footsteps

Lake Zurich junior right-side hitter Sage Olson is one of the best volleyball players in the country. Not surprising, she has been eager to show that.

But Olson worried that a series of injuries during her freshman and sophomore years would affect her recruiting. She suffered ankle, back and knee injuries until she finally felt fully healthy this summer.

“That was pretty rough for me because I knew I wanted to play in college,” Olson said. “I really worried that would affect my exposure. I was so blessed to be injury-free during the summer. I was fortunate to get the exposure I needed.”

Indeed, the 5-foot-11 Olson committed to Notre Dame in June, a decision that put the Bears in the spotlight too.

“Sage has elevated our program through the national recognition that comes with having a player of her caliber,” Lake Zurich coach Rachel Wiatrowski said. “Her success has brought increased visibility and credibility to our program and has demonstrated that our gym can develop athletes capable of competing at the highest levels of the sport.”

Olson, who has team highs of 147 kills, 15 blocks and 88 digs for the Bears (10-3), is making an impact on the program in other ways as well.

“Sage has helped create a culture where players want to work harder, compete harder and believe that they can reach the next level,” Wiatrowski said. “That is the lasting impact of an elite player.”

Olson isn’t the first elite athlete from her family — far from it. She won’t even be the first to play a sport for the Irish.

Olson’s mother, Alicia, was an All-American basketball player at Lake Zurich and then starred at Notre Dame, where she won the 2001 national championship, and her father, Corey, played football at Western Illinois.

Olson’s aunt Michele Ratay was the 1992 Gatorade Illinois basketball player of the year at Buffalo Grove and averaged 15.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists during her four-year career at Northwestern, and Olson said her grandparents were college athletes too.

“When I originally committed, it came with some stress,” Olson said. “I felt I had to prove myself to other people, but you have to know who you are as an athlete, and you have to know all the work you put in. I just think about being able to play and represent my college and school.”

Olson, a third-year starter, is certainly making her mark at Lake Zurich. She racked up 305 kills, 278 assists, 160 digs, 31 blocks and 28 aces last season, when she was named the North Suburban Conference’s co-player of the year.

“Sage is an elite volleyball player because she brings together athleticism, strategic intelligence, mental toughness and an unmatched work ethic,” Wiatrowski said. “She has the physical tools to compete at a high level — she is fast, strong, explosive and athletic — but what truly separates her is how she combines those abilities with her understanding of the game.

“Sage understands how to read the game, anticipate what is coming and make smart decisions under pressure.”

That makes Olson a particularly reliable teammate.

“As a setter, I feel confident that every time I set her, she will 90% of the time get a kill,” Lake Zurich senior setter Ella Elsen said. “So as a setter, she is the ideal hitter you would want on your team.”

Olson is willing to do whatever she can for the Bears.

“Lake Zurich is really special for me because my mom played basketball here,” she said. “I love my coaches and my teammates. We are a big family.

“I really want to be an example for all the younger girls and be the person they are watching. So I try to be positive on the court and lift teammates up and be that example for younger girls. I’m really lucky to be the face of Lake Zurich.”