« Volleyball 2015

Cassie Strickland

School
University of Washington
Position
Libero
Major
Medical Anthropology & Global Health

Classroom

A standout student, Cassie Strickland is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention honoree, maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.21 entering her senior year. She is majoring in anthropology and is studying Medical Anthropology and Global Health.

Character

Strickland’s fearless nature is what stands out regarding her play on the court. Off the court she is a loyal friend and teammate and a source of endless energy. Her outgoing personality makes her a positive force on the court. Despite standing just 5-foot-8 and recruited as a defensive specialist, Strickland won a starting outside hitter role for the Huskies for two years, including the 2013 season when Washington went 30-3 and made the Final Four. She then switched to libero in 2014, which took away her chances to attack and forced her to become more disciplined. She responded by winning Pac-12 Libero of the Year.

Community

Between her sophomore and junior seasons, Strickland participated in a study abroad trip to Tahiti to study effects of colonization on communicates while also teaching volleyball and basketball clinics to Tahitian natives. One of her career goals is to return to her father’s homeland of Samoa to help empower children in that country through athletics. Strickland and the Huskies are also regular participants in Coins For Kids fundraisers and community clean-up projects around town.

Competition

After playing her first two seasons as a starting outside hitter and then transitioning to the libero spot for her junior and senior seasons, Strickland will be a four-year starter at the end of this season. Last year, as a junior, Strickland was named Pac-12 Libero of the Year in her first season playing the spot. She ranks second in career service aces among returning Pac-12 players, and is on pace to break the UW school record with 118 entering 2015. The Huskies have gone 86-13 in Strickland’s three seasons, earning the No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament each of the past two years and advancing at least to the Round of 16 every year of her career.