Freshman succeeds at her sport

Behind the 6-foot-6-inch exterior of freshman Amanda Gil stands someone who is far from the middle blocker persona her opponents have come to fear.

“I look intimidating because I’m really tall, but I’m definitely not,” she said.

Although her opponents on the court look over the net and see a daunting figure ready to slam a ball back in their faces, Gil, at her chore, is anything but daunting.

Her family background has helped shape her into the outgoing and compassionate person her teammates know her to be off the court.

Brotherly Love

The person that Gil is today as a UCLA athlete has been largely shaped by her brother, Randy Jr.

Randy is only 9. Though Gil has studies and volleyball to keep her busy every hour of the day, she thinks about Randy every day.

Randy is autistic. And being Randy’s sister has given Gil a different perspective on how to live life and treat others.

That’s where Gil’s friendly nature comes from.

“You see everybody else have normal brothers and sisters who can go out and do stuff with them,” Gil said. “I can do stuff with my brother, but it’s like, it’s hard because he’s not really there with you. He’s there with you, like gives you kisses and everything, but he doesn’t have a normal conversation with you.”

Gil says that the worst part about being away from home is being away from Randy.

“I don’t think I’d ever trade him to be normal, because he’s taught me so much that he’d never understand he’s taught me. With a person having a disability, you learn so much more, and you appreciate your life so much more to that extent.”

Randy will likely be unable to play a sport competitively, and Gil points to this fact as the reason she truly appreciates the talent she has. Gil said that she wants to do her best merely because she is able to do it.

“God gave you the talents to do it, so it just makes you … it just makes you really look at your life and appreciate it a lot more.”

Taking her talent to UCLA

With the perspective from her family experiences in mind, Gil knew she needed to use her talents once she discovered them.

She went to a high school with a very competitive volleyball program, and her career took off from there.

Although she was originally a basketball player, Gil left the sport her freshman year because she got bored of it.

“I’d played (basketball) for so many years, and I was ready for a new challenge … so volleyball was it,” she said.

Gil’s high school, Archbishop Mitty in San Jose, won the state championship her freshman year and went to the state championship each of the next three years.

Her high school preparation made the transition to college volleyball much smoother.

“I went to a really competitive high school, so when I was a freshman, I started,” Gil said. “So there is kind of the same thing coming into college.

“I was ready to step up to the challenge and start.”

And as one of the top women’s volleyball recruits last year, teams knew Gil was ready to take on Division I opponents.

“She works real hard and is never satisfied with what she is doing,” UCLA coach Andy Banachowski said. “As we’re going through the season, she keeps getting better and better, and we keep getting better and better as a team.”

Despite receiving recruitment offers from Pac-10 heavyweights Stanford and California, Gil chose to attend UCLA.

“I just like how it’s far from home, but not too far from home,” Gil said.

“(Banachowski) has been here for so long, and he knows everything about being a volleyball player, and I just wanted him to coach me and teach me all the stuff he knows. He made (former UCLA middle blockers Nana Meriwether and Rachell Johnson) such great athletes; I wanted to be coached by him.”

Gil has already impressed Banachowski. Her talents on the court have thrived under his tutelage.

Gil emerged immediately this season as a leader on the team to fill in for recently graduated middle blocker Rachell Johnson.

“We wanted to have more of a presence in the middle, and Amanda gives us that,” Banachowski said.

Second in the Pac-10 in kills per set, team leader in points per set and an early candidate for National Freshman of the Year, Gil’s accolades are stacking up very early in her collegiate career.

A busy social bee

Although many freshmen have trouble making friends immediately, especially if their physical stature makes them stand out, Gil had no such troubles.

Her vibrant, fun personality influenced by her family life showed through immediately, and people clung to it.

“Amanda’s personality is really outgoing and she is always making you laugh,” said Lainey Gera, Gil’s teammate of the past six years and current UCLA freshman defensive specialist.

“That’s why I like her so much, because it’s not about how she plays, it’s more about who she is.”

Gil’s coach agrees.

“She brings a real positive outlook,” Banachowski said. “She’s a friendly person; she loves to interact with people. She’s a great asset that way on the team.”

And even Gil acknowledges certain things about her personality.

“I have a really outgoing personality and everyone here is smiling ““ (UCLA) fits my personality,” Gil said.

With class, practice, weights, study hall, constant meetings and matches, Bruin athletes can get bogged down easily. Despite the rigors of an elite university’s academics and Division I athletics, Gil cites her busy schedule as a factor in keeping her grounded in things that are important, namely her studies and sport.

“I really like being busy, because it makes me stay on top of things,” Gil said.

Being turned on to volleyball by her mother, Gil joined the Vision Volleyball Club when she was in seventh grade. That’s where she met Gera.

“I love being with Lainey still,” Gil said. “She’s so funny, probably the funniest person I’ve ever met. It’s good to have someone back at home so if we want to go home together, we can.

“Playing with her is awesome, too, because we’ve been playing together for six years. … We have a lot of chemistry and everything, so that’s perfect.”

Emerging on the national stage so early in her career, Gil has a promising future at UCLA and has the chance to carry her team far into the postseason in the years to come. And a successful volleyball team starts with solid personal connections between players, a skill that just comes naturally to Amanda Gil.

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