When you attend Washburn University volleyball games, you probably notice a player on the court wearing a different jersey than her teammates. This season, that player is sophomore libero Faith Rottinghaus.

Rottinghaus holds a special passion for volleyball, a role that lead her to choose to play the sport in college instead of basketball or softball. Her passion for volleyball was not always apparent, the lack of it even causing her to consider quitting during her freshman year of high school. She says a change in coaching was all it took for her to find her love for the game again.

Rottinghaus is a Topeka native, attending Shawnee Heights High School where she participated in volleyball, softball, and basketball. Her senior year, they took state titles in both volleyball and softball. She admits that she has an alternative country lifestyle when she’s not on the court. She loves to ride horses and previously lived on a 315-acre farm before moving onto a 3-acre property closer to the city.

When not on the court, she likes to spend time with her family and friends. She has four younger siblings, two brothers and two sisters. Her parents, Michael and Theresa Rottinghaus, have supported her since day one and attend as many games as they can.

Since beginning her college career here at Washburn, Rottinghaus has nothing but good things to say about the program and community. She credits her coaching staff for such a positive experience and the ability to grow as a person in addition to becoming a better athlete.

The best part of Washburn, according to Rottinghaus, is the ability to make connections with many different kinds of people. In addition to turning teammates into friends, she also enjoys getting the opportunity to go to class with students who maybe don’t participate in school athletics.

“Being a part of Washburn is amazing,” Rottinghuas said. “Being an athlete, you get to meet all of the other athletes but also in just going to class you get to meet all of the students who just come here to go to school. It’s great to be able to meet different students to form those connections and form study groups.”

After finishing her volleyball career at Washburn, Rottinghaus has dreams to become a Physical Therapy Assistant and hopefully get accepted into Physical Therapy school somewhere in Texas.