She's not done yet

By Ruby Kayser

A cook, a ballerina, a great friend, quiet but intelligent, outdoorsy, a two time All American, and a professional volleyball player for over eleven years. Sonja Newcombe is a jack of all trades, and nothing short of amazing. The 6’1 pro is back in Fort Collins slowing down, spending time with her husband, and volunteer coaching for the CSU volleyball team.

“The longer I’ve played, the more time with friends and family I have had to sacrifice,” Newcombe said. “When I went pro, there were several years I didn’t get to come home for eight months.”

She credits her ability to play so long to her husband, Kyle Anderson.

“My husband has sacrificed his career because he wanted to come and support me wherever I was,” she said.

If you ask Kyle he’ll tell you that it was a no brainer.

“There are several things that played into choosing to follow Sonja and pursue her career,” said Anderson. “But the simple answer is that she was really, really good and I believed in her potential and the opportunities she had in front of her.”

“When I say that she was really good, she was a 2 time All-American at Oregon and a 4-year team captain and MVP. She changed that program from 1-17 in PAC 10 play and no NCAA tournament appearances since 1989 to 4 straight during her time there and graduated as the modern era all-time leading scorer and top 10 in points, digs, blocks, passing, and kills,” he adds.

Impressive to say the least, but of course her career did not end at Oregon.

He remembers her first professional appearance in Puerto Rico. “Sonja had the opportunity to play in Puerto Rico before we actually graduated and she performed extremely well down there as she was the 2nd best scorer in the league and set a record for single match kills in 4 sets with 38.” This made the decision for her to pursue professional volleyball an easy one.

Sonja didn’t always know she would play professional volleyball, she majored in business with an interest in sports marketing. In fact she didn't realize that professional volleyball was a real option until her senior year.

“I didn’t understand how to get hired and how to get an agent,” she said.

"Because I didn’t have a lot of Team USA experience I didn’t get a ton of exposure. When my senior season ended I was approached by an agent and he told me that I could make a real career for my life out of volleyball.”

It wasn’t until that moment that she realized professional volleyball was a reality.

Since then, Newcombe has played all over the globe, but playing in Brazil holds a lot of special memories.

“Brazil typically only takes one or two foreigners, normally olympians or really big volleyball names. I got connected with the right guy and they liked the way I played.”

Newcombe got to play with Team USA member Destinee Hooker in Brazil, they won the South American Championships and qualified their team for the World Club Championships. She was not a “big name” at the time, but Newcombe’s agent believed in her and sealed the opportunity to play in Brazil, of course they liked what they saw.

Throughout her professional career she has won the Romanian League, Romanian Cup, Turkish Super Cup, the Pan American Cup, and the USA Volleyball Cup just to name a few. She also won Best Outside Hitter for the Puerto Rico League in 2010.

“There are two things that really stand out when I think about Sonja and how successful she has become,” says her husband Kyle, attributing her success. “First, she is the most competitive person I know. Even in a room filled with competitive athletes she wants to win and be successful more than anyone else. Second, she has the best work ethic of any person I know. She is always willing to do the work to the best of her abilities, not just go through the motions, she always gives her best.”

CSU head volleyball coach Tom Hilbert describes Newcombe as a very skilled player who knows what's important when it comes to winning. She has been an excellent addition to the Colorado State coaching staff during the pandemic.

Newcombe fills the role of a practice player and a coach at CSU.

“It’s allowed me to observe both sides of being a player and a coach, I have loved being able to float between,” Newcombe said. “Since I am not officially retired I can still be a player while working on my coaching.”

She has made a huge impact on the players and coaches with her time in the gym.

“She is not afraid to call us out when we need to do better, but also carries a light joking presence which makes practices fun,” said CSU volleyball player Alyssa Bert.

Associate head coach Emily Kohan also commented on Newcombe's poise on the court and as a coach.

“Sonja has a wonderful, even demeanor that makes it easy to work with her because she shows up the same every single day,” said Kohan. “She is thoughtful and intelligent and wonderful to bounce ideas off of because she has been around so many high-level programs.”

While Newcombe is only a volunteer coach right now, she will take over as the middle blocking coach when assistant coach Adrianna Blackman is on maternity leave. Newcombe also plans to pursue a college coaching job once she is officially retired.

However, she doesn’t want to rush into a second career right away. She wants to return the favor to support and propel her husband’s career, start a family, and just let life slow down for a while. Oh and a big retirement party of course!

Sonja Newcombe competing for Eczacıbaşı Spor Kulübü club in Turkey.

Picture: @_sonjanewcombe on Instagram

Sonja Newcombe and Kyle Anderson celebrating their 10th anniversary.

Picture: @_sonjanewcombe on Instagram