Arlington's Calli Troutman signs with Umpqua Comm. College

Arlington senior Calli Troutman has signed a letter-of-intent with Umpqua Community College and will play volleyball for the Riverhawks.

Troutman is coming off of a phenomenal season, in which she led the Arlington/Ione Cardinals to a district championship. She was selected as the Big Sky Conference First-Team.

But despite these achievements, Troutman said that she didn't get much attention from colleges – that is until recently.

"I was late to get footage up for coaches to view," Troutman says.

While attending a volleyball camp over spring break, Troutman was approached by the head coach of Umpqua Community College, who was helping to run the camp.

"She didn't even see any of my video," Troutman said with a smile.

It was a good chance encounter with a good bit of luck. But soon, other colleges did come knocking.

But after Troutman took a trip to Roseburg to see the school, she knew it was the right fit.

"I'm excited," Troutman said. "The campus is a couple of miles outside of town, it's really nice."

Calli says that she is interested in pursuing a degree in Exercise Science, and to potentially be an athletic trainer or physical therapist.

But for now, she is most excited to continue playing the game she loves.

Calli says that she started playing volleyball in fifth grade but remembers that in eighth grade she began to really like it.

"A coach from a collegiate men's team out of Arizona came to Ione, Teren Humphrey and him set up the camp," Calli recalls. "I think that kind of set everything in motion."

As a freshman, Troutman had a strange season due to the COVID closures. But as a sophomore, she saw her competitive edge grow and helped take the team to a third place finish.

As a junior, she continued to improve and the Arlington/Ione team took second at the district tournament.

Finally, as a senior, the team took first. Over the years, Calli's quiet and shy demeanor changed, and she became vocal and fired up when on the court.

In recent months, Calli has been playing club volleyball with athletes from The Dalles and other cities in The Gorge.

The competition, size, and skill of other players have helped to make her better, she says.

"Those girls are paying to be there," Calli says, "so it's definitely more competitive."

Calli realized that despite being from a small, 1A school, she could compete with girls from larger cities.

"It was kind of eye-opening," Calli says. "I wasn't aware of how players at those levels played and didn't know how I fit into it."

But after playing through club sports and attending camps, Calli says that she is confident that she can compete at the next level and is excited to continue on this journey.

"It's the one thing that I get the most joy out of – that's playing."