Anna Logan Gillens' Summers with the U.S. Virgin Islands National Team

NEWARK, Del. - Summer is normally a time to unwind, rest, and recover before the start of classes and athletic competitions at University of of Delaware. However, University of Delaware sophomore Anna Logan Gillens has spent her summers playing on the U.S. Virgin Islands National Volleyball team.

"It's like a sisterhood," Gillens said. "I really enjoy playing with them. Any day I can call them and talk to them about volleyball or anything with life. Even though I'm not on the island, I still feel connected to them."

Anna Logan Gillens

Coming to Delaware from Cardinal Newman School in West Columbia, S.C., Gillens had a plethora of accomplishments during her high school career. She was a four-time All Region and All Star, two time SCISA 3A Player of the Year, and the 2022 Midlands All-Area Player of the Year. She also helped her school to two-state championships and is the All-Time career kills leader. She got started with the U.S. Virgin Islands during high school after their coach saw her play and was interested in having her join the team.

The team competes in the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA). Throughout her years playing, Gillens has earned U-21 and U-19 MVP honors, best outside hitter for U21 and U19, and was a Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) U19 and U21 gold medalist. She most recently competed in Canada this past summer.

Winning followed Gillens to Delaware, as she was a member of the Blue Hens' CAA Tournament Championship run last year as a freshman. Gillens said her time playing with the U.S. Virgin Islands, and being the captain, has impacted her on the court at Delaware.

"Playing at a high level and having the experience of playing different countries like the U.S. and Domininic Republic and Mexico and seeing how they play volleyball and bringing that IQ level to Delaware has helped me," Gillens said. "Being the captain has also guided me through things here, so it's been a good learning experience."

Gillens' said the team's energy is what stands out to her. She said the team always bring's high energy even if they are struggling and it helps bring a good mindset to their competitions. Her aunt is from the U.S. Virgin Islands, and said it means a lot to represent the island playing on the team.

"There's not a lot of people on the island," she said. "Being able to represent them and perform at a high level and actually do well has been amazing."

Gillens share similar goals with the U.S. Virgin Islands team and Delaware - to win as much as she can. This past summer, they finished seventh in NORCEC Continental Championships by defeating Suriname - a tournament where they also faced Mexico, Canada, and Costa Rica in Torando, Canada.

"If we keep winning, we could also make it to the Olympics," Gillens said. "With them, just trying to continue to develop the [U.S. Virgin Islands Volleyball] federation and just keep going as high as we can go, keep winning so that we can play in bigger tournaments and have the opportunity to get to where we want to be."

And at Delaware, the goals for Gillens during her final three years follow a comparable path - win in the CAA one final time, win in Conference USA, and to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

University of Delaware Athletics

Anna Logan Gillens' Summers with the U.S. Virgin Islands National Team

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