Julia Topor arrived in Sin City not knowing what to expect, then left knowing where she’s headed to college. The Bogota volleyball standout signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas after realizing the campus is far different than the nearby Strip.
“Nevada’s in the desert, so there’s not much green around the area,” Topor said. “But around the campus, that’s all there was: grass, flowers. It was just a beautiful environment to be around.”
The 6-foot-2 Topor, who earned first team All-North Jersey honors after leading the Bucs to the Group 1 title and Tournament of Champions final, chose UNLV over Cincinnati, George Mason and Rider. She is undecided on a major.
The Runnin’ Rebels, who compete in the Mountain West Conference, did not start recruiting Topor until last month. A coach from Manhattan recommended her to UNLV. Topor made her official visit last week, and sent her signed letter over the weekend.
Topor is a late bloomer who was not recruited until her junior year. One of the state’s hardest hitters, she improved her serve and defense enough to also play the back row as a senior. She’s happy she didn’t sign early.
“If I had committed earlier, maybe in September,” Topor said, “I don’t think I would have gotten such a high-level program like UNLV.”
