Eden Christian grad playing college volleyball in Florida offers inspiration to small school players

By: Ray Fisher
Saturday, August 16, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Elena Arnold didn’t decide to transfer from Saint Francis to Rollins College for any one specific reason.

It was, instead, due to a myriad of reasons.

“Many things drew me to this decision,” Arnold, a former volleyball standout at Eden Christian Academy, said. “Ultimately, I was not making the on-court impact I wanted to at SFU. They have such a talented and deep bench with many amazing players.

“I also have always lived in Pennsylvania and wanted the chance to go somewhere different and hopefully sunny and got to achieve just that.”

Arnold, 21, played at Saint Francis for three seasons, which included a redshirt freshman year. She entered the transfer portal in December following the 2024 fall season.

“Most importantly, I am a Christian and felt the Lord putting it on my heart that it was time to make this move, so I had to listen,” Arnold said. “I spent a few weeks talking to schools and visiting different campuses and committed to Rollins before Christmas.

“This allowed me to transfer there in January and have a full semester of training before jumping into my first season as a Tar. So, I have had one semester there so far. I was seeking to head somewhere where I could truly impact a team in a positive way.”

Rollins is a private liberal arts school located in Winter Park, Fla. It has an approximate enrollment of 3,000 students.

“Rollins combined everything I was looking for in a school,” said Arnold, a 4.0 student and a business management major. “It is a beautiful campus with strong academics and a grad program I’m excited to apply for. But coach Mika Robinson and the team culture she has created sealed the deal for me.

“I have never been part of a group of young women that truly support and lift up one another like this Rollins team does, and it is so relieving to play with a team that loves and supports me as a person, not just an athlete.”

Robinson expects the 6-foot-1 Arnold to be an impact player and team leader this year as a redshirt junior right-side hitter.

“Elena transferred to us because she was looking for a place that she could make a bigger impact,” the veteran coach said. “We had her here all spring, so we have been able to train her for the offseason. We expect Elena to make an impact on the right side for us this year. Her combination of offensive and blocking skills fit very well into our system.

“Elena has been an absolute joy to add to the program and has already found ways to step up as a leader on our team and on campus in her short time here. We are excited about her being a part of our team.”

Rollins is a member of the NCAA Division II Sunshine State Conference. Other conference members are Barry, Eckerd, Embry-Riddle, Florida Southern, Florida Tech, Lynn, Nova Southeastern, Palm Beach Atlantic, Saint Leo and Tampa.

“Our conference is without a doubt the most competitive conference in Division II volleyball,” Arnold said. “Every year, more than half of the teams make the NCAA tournament. That being said, Rollins has been on the cusp of breaking into that top half for a while now.

“I’m excited to get to play so much competitive volleyball in this conference, and I’m determined to be a part of the team that breaks into the tournament for the first time.”

Arnold, a lefty, graduated from Eden Christian in 2022 with a 4.25 GPA after completing a distinguished four-year volleyball career for the Warriors. She was an all-WPIAL second team selection twice, first team all-section player three times and was chosen as the Class A player of the week three times.

She also was an AAU Academic All-American and an Under Armour All-American nominee.

“I always enjoyed getting to play in games against opponents who we knew were ranked above us,” Arnold said. “For my last three years, I was known by most schools as the ‘Big Lefty.’ Those moments of high competition were exciting, even if we didn’t come out on top.

“Eden volleyball was not at the level it is now when I was in high school. I didn’t have the privilege of playing at Eden under the leadership of coach Jillian (Zentko), who has turned the program into a powerhouse. I like to think I had a part in the spark in encouraging some younger players to start playing club ball and practicing year-round that allowed them to get to this point.”

Eden Christian won the Section 5-A title last year with an 8-0 record and finished 21-4 overall. Eden landed the No. 2 seed for the WPIAL playoffs and advanced to PIAA tournament as the district’s third-place team.

Arnold’s sister Ava, 17, is a 5-9 outside hitter in her senior season with the Warriors.

“I follow Ava in all she does,” her older sister said. “While I can’t be at her games in person since I attend school in Florida and am playing in my own season, I watch the live streams as much as I can. You can ask my roommates. I get pretty fired up in close matches, even from hundreds of miles away.”

But when the chance occurs, the siblings find time to brush up on their volleyball skills both individually and as a tandem.

“Yes, we do practice and work out together when we are home,” Elena said, “often times at the Eden gym whenever we can get the court time.

“I’ve loved watching Ava grow up into the stud athlete she is, and while I get to coach her up as her older sister, she is constantly teaching me new things about the sport and making me better just as I hope to do the same for her.”

The Arnold sisters come from an athletic family. They are the daughters of Michael and Rachelle Arnold. Their father played basketball at Judson College; their mother played softball at IUP.

Elena Arnold said participating in the Revolution Volleyball club program had a dramatic impact on her career in the gym.

“Revolution has been the biggest influence in my volleyball career,” she said. “I joined Rev when I was a junior (at Eden) and was bumped up onto the 18s team. The coaches were Meghan Lucas, Mike Hogan and Rick Watkins, and all of them had daughters on the team who have become dear friends of mine. The club gave me some amazing friendships, including teammates I went to play college ball with at SFU.

“These coaches, along with Dan Labonte, Brian and Heidi Miller and Evan and Ellie Proksell, are all the reason I am the athlete I am today. They instilled so much confidence in me and fostered my love for this sport.”

And it sounds as though something in athletic administration may be a major part of Arnold’s future.

“Growing up I dreamed of being a collegiate volleyball coach, and it’s still something I would absolutely love to do,” she said. “However, the idea of athletic administration has caught my eye. I consider myself a very type A, organized, schedule and budget-loving person, and I love all things athletic, so I would love the chance to pursue athletic directing.

“I have been in contact with our own AD (Penny Parker), and I am hoping to get to shadow her in the upcoming semester to learn more about what her role looks like.”

The well-versed and dedicated athlete began to wrap up things up some inspirational advice.

“I’d like this article to be an encouragement to girls coming from smaller high schools that aren’t known as ‘volleyball schools,’” Arnold said. “I want them to know that with hard work this sport can take them anywhere.

“The verse Jeremiah 29:11 has been my life story though all of this and is my encouragement to all who might read this article: ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’”

Arnold definitely is looking forward to the next two seasons at Rollins.

“The only expectations I have are to work my hardest, be the best teammate and player I can and lead every person on my team to be greater than where they started,” she said. “But as far as goals go, I want to win an SSC championship and go to the NCAA tournament, of course.”

Tags: Eden Christian