Driven, Competitive, Unstoppable: Inside Offerle’s Success
With record-setting numbers and strong leadership, "little miss automatic" Cameron Offerle has become a cornerstone of Bethel volleyball
“She is definitely the total package of a player.”
This is what Adriana Leake, the head volleyball coach, described her opposite hitter Cameron Offerle as. Offerle has been the leader in the NAIA when it comes to kills and was described by her coach as having the statistics of two players combined. She was also just selected to be an All-Conference First Team member, showing the impact she has had on the whole conference this season.
Offerle did not start her career as one might expect. When she started playing volleyball in third grade, she was not a big fan of it and instead described herself as a “die-hard basketball fan.” This changed once she reached middle school, where the sport itself got more competitive, and she started to enjoy playing volleyball. “In high school is where I really grew to love it,” Offerle shares. She went to Spearville High School in Dodge City, Kan. where she had an amazing relationship with her volleyball coach. This was where she grew passionate about volleyball and started improving as a player.
Coach Leake still recalls meeting her for the first time in an open gym at Bethel and loving her from that day on. Even though Offerle was not happy with her performance that day, Coach Leake explained that she was still able to see the amount of potential within her. The reason Offerle wanted to join Bethel was because of the special culture within the team. “No other school I visited had girls that enjoyed playing volleyball this much while still being such hard workers,” she explained.
When looking back at those starting days in her career, Offerle shares that she was not good at volleyball, but by giving herself the time to develop and improve while playing, she worked her way from being a freshman on the second team to being “a key part in the offense,” as Coach Leake described her. While Offerle can be rather hard on herself, Coach Leake pointed out her hard work, saying, ““She always takes any opportunity to improve her skills and puts everything into every practice.”
“She always takes any opportunity to improve her skills and puts everything into every practice.”
Adriana Leake
Outside of volleyball, she is also majoring in social work and spends a lot of time with her mod-mates, who are her biggest support system here at Bethel. Offerle shared that she likes to take everything one step at a time and focuses on what she can control in the moment instead of looking at the big picture. She believes that this is how she will be the best teammate she can be and that everything else will fall into place as long as she works hard in every moment.
“You can always be a good teammate and work hard,” Shared Offerle.
This is how Offerle explained she makes it through difficult games. Focusing on what she can do when not playing the way she wants to and cheering her teammates on is what ultimately leads her to get her head back into the game as well. “She is a big personality in the team,” Coach Leake explained, adding that no matter if in the locker room or on the court, her teammates know they can count on her.
When it comes to volleyball, she enjoys the fast pace combined with the constant game IQ needed to do well. “Being able to celebrate after each point keeps the energy high,” Offerle shares, emphasizing how exciting it is to share that energy with her teammates. “I know that anything she sets her mind on she will at some point achieve,” Coach Leake commented.
“Friendships and the community is what has been keeping me going,” she explained. She wants the volleyball team to be a fun and safe space for anyone joining the program. By staying connected to the people around her and being grateful for every moment, Offerle keeps her positive mindset, constantly being a support system for the whole team. Leake finishes the interview by explaining how grateful she feels to be a part of Cameron Offerle’s career. “She is such a special player, and I am so lucky to be her coach.”