“I didn’t know that in my first game, I’d be going up against an Olympian,” said professional volleyball player, Felix Egharevba. “So I was like, ‘alright, I’m in the big leagues now.’” This Where Are They Now segment is presented by Grow Sports Psychology.
Felix Egharevba grinds his way to a big senior year at Ball State University
In the Egharevba family, track and field was practically a birthright. However, Felix has forged his own path, which has taken him from Naperville Central to the professional volleyball courts in Europe.
Egharevba graduated from Central in the spring of 2018 and took his talents to Ball State University. After falling to Lewis University in the MIVA Conference Semifinals in his junior season, Egharevba knew he had to do something different.
“I’m undersized in my position,” said Egharevba. “So I asked my strength coach what we can do. That summer, I put on 10 pounds of muscle, maybe 10-12. I felt stronger, faster.”
That dedication paid off. In 2022, Egharevba led the NCAA in blocks per set and earned All-American Honorable Mention honors. He helped Ball State capture the regular season and tournament championships in the MIVA conference.
Felix Egharevba sets up his career off the court with a nursing degree
While Egharevba excelled on the court, he was also earning his nursing degree. Some days, after morning practice, he’d travel one hour to a nursing clinical before returning for more classes and workouts. On other weeks, he was put on the night shift, and you could often find him in the locker room taking a nap after morning practice.
“There are four hours in a day that I could train on, and maybe there’s like 18 hours in a day where I’m away from volleyball,” said Egharevba. “So, the majority of that time when I’m not playing volleyball should be devoted towards school.”
After graduation, Egharevba faced a pivotal decision. Start his nursing career or pursue professional volleyball overseas.
“After I graduated, I was offered a job at a hospital as a registered nurse, and I would have started that job in May,” said Egharevba. “I truly believe I’ll always go into nursing whenever I’m done playing volleyball. So, I was like, let’s go into volleyball and see how it works.”
That decision first led him to Finland and now to Czechia where he plays for VSC Fatra Zlin.
Egharevba’s path to Volleyball and how his family keeps him inspired
At 6’5″, Egharevba might seem born for volleyball, but his path to the sport was anything but traditional.
“I come from a track and field family,” said Egharevba. “Everybody in my family did track. I did long jump and high jump a little bit in middle school and then decided it was not really what I wanted to do. I went to play volleyball in an open gym, and I just loved it.”
Inspiration in college and now in the pros has come from home– specifically from his older sister D’Jenne, who blazed a trail for him to follow after running at Texas Tech.
“My sister was really and still is my hero,” said Egharevba. “Without her, I don’t think I would ever have been in this situation because I saw her succeed, and succeed in all aspects of high school and college. She went pro for like a year and a half as well.”
Beyond volleyball, Egharevba has embraced the opportunity to explore Europe.
“I was able to travel up to the North Pole in Finland, to see reindeer, and to the Arctic Circle where we went snowmobiling,” said Egharevba. “I (also took) a ten-hour cruise to Stockholm. This year, I was able to visit Slovakia, and then Austria twice, (where) we went to Vienna and Prague.”
4,000 miles away from Naperville in search of a lifelong dream
On the volleyball court, Egharevba has his sights set on even bigger goals.
“I would love to make it to the USA camp over the summer and play over there in Anaheim,” said Egharevba. “ I’d love to get my last name on a USA Jersey. Another one of my goals is to play in a really good league over here in Europe as well as win a championship.”
The European professional volleyball structure resembles soccer leagues, with countries like France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Turkey hosting the most elite competitions.
While volleyball is his focus for now, Egharevba knows his nursing degree gives him options for the future.
“I will have this job, and have this degree until I die, right? Volleyball can come and go.”
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