US volleyball player Samantha Wopat passes away at 19 – Volleyball
Sophomore student-athlete on the women’s volleyball team of Stanford University, Samantha Wopat, passed away on Sunday, March 25.
The 19-year old Sam faced a medical emergency on Saturday, March 17 and was brought to the Stanford Hospital. She was admitted to the ICU until her death.
Wopat was brought to the limelight in 2006, when she became a part of the U.S. Women’s Junior Olympic Team. She proved her endeavours and received many accolades during the first year. She also remained part of the Olympic team for two more years and finally
got selected in the U.S. Youth National Team in 2009. The next year, she was offered to join U.S. Women’s Junior National Team.
Meanwhile, Wopat enrolled at the Stanford University and became part of the Stanford volleyball team. She played at outside hitter’s position and contributed to the overall success of Stanford Volleyball Programme.
In her first year at Stanford, she appeared in 11 sets and attained a hitting percentage of .571. She further improved in her sophomore year and saw action in 25 sets with an average rate of 1.16 kills per set. Overall, she played volleyball for six years
that will be remembered for her contribution.
The Chief Executive Officer of USA Volleyball (USAV) Doug Beal expressed his sheer regret about the loss of Sam at such young age.
He stated, “On behalf of all of us at USA Volleyball, we are terribly saddened by the tragic and sudden passing of Samantha Wopat. Samantha was a bright and vibrant participant in the USA Volleyball Indoor High Performance Program with a seemingly unlimited
and bright future. We cannot begin to imagine the sense of loss to the family, and we offer our thoughts and prayers to them and our most sincere condolences.”
The Director of Athletics at Stanford also had similar thoughts. He said, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Sam Wopat.”
Wopat’s twin sister Carly is still a member of Stanford women’s volleyball team. Besides Carly, she is survived by her parents and two brothers, Eli and Jackson. Her family has yet to announce the memorial date, which is likely to be attended by members
of her team, family, and friends.
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