Student-Athlete Spotlight: Noelle Niederman ’27 Fueling Sets for Success

Noelle Niederman ’27 serves during a match. Photo provided by Santa Clara University Athletics.

Noelle Niederman ’27, a beach volleyball player at Santa Clara University, had an early introduction to the sport, as her parents first met playing beach volleyball. Years later, in 2019, she was introduced to a club program in her home state of Washington.

“My family and I met some really amazing people, and they were like, ‘you’re young and you’re good, you should definitely try it out,’ and it changed my life,” Niederman shared.

She finished the 2025 season with a 13-20 overall record, competing at the No. 1, 2, and 3 positions in the lineup. In conference play, Niederman ended with a 4-1 record and was recognized as part of the West Coast Conference All-Academic Team, in which the WCC recognizes student-athletes that have excellence in both their athletics and academics. She and the Broncos achieved the best performance in program history by placing second in the WCC Championship. According to Niederman, the team culture was crucial to this success. 

“We had a very good foundation as, in the beginning, my coaches made an effort to get to know everyone considering the majority of our team is new,” she said. “We had a bunch of team bonding exercises, giving us confidence to push each other.”

She reflected on her mindset during high-pressure matches, such as the WCC final against Loyola Marymount University and focused on believing in herself and her teammates. “I go through a mindset of, okay, I want to win, I know I can, let’s get it done. In those moments, I just have to trust myself and trust my skills, and that both my partner and I are in it.”

On top of her commitment to her athletic excellence, Niederman is a mechanical engineering student, and recalls how it can be a challenge during the season to manage her time between both school and volleyball, so she has strategized by being goal-oriented.

“Balance has been a big thing. I’m a mechanical engineer, so it’s been tough. Allocating certain times during the day for work, trying to avoid nights,” she said. “I want to succeed in both athletics and academics, because that’s why I am here. A, to get a good education, B, to further develop my career-oriented skills being on a team.”

Niederman emphasized perseverance when dealing with difficulties during training or following tough matches. 

“I like to push myself—I’ve never seen myself as a quitter, so what motivates me is the feeling I get after I succeed and, if I fail, I need to take that as an opportunity to learn.”  

Heading into the WCC Championship, Niederman said the team was confident and motivated. Looking ahead, she also reflected on this idea while hoping to build on the current team identity and continue to develop her own individual skills.

“Going into the championship, we had a lot of confidence and we were very hungry to get those wins, and we never doubted each other, and we will continue this into next season,” Niederman said. “We have this culture and identity that is super strong, so I’m very stoked for our next season. For me personally, I just want to stay focused and continue to build my confidence and have a strong belief in myself and my abilities.”