‘You don’t get to win – you have to earn it’: Inside Loryn Helgesen’s rise
Ask Loryn Helgesen where her volleyball story begins, and she’ll take you to a community gym, watching her mom scrimmage with friends.
“I started in junior high … I’d go and watch her, and I just [thought], ‘This is so fun,’” Helgesen said.
Seventh grade turned into club seasons, confidence and eventually, a call from Utah State University.
“I was playing soccer at the time, and I was like, ‘They don’t have to run around as much… I really want to try that.’ I fell in love with it, and I’ve just been playing ever since,” Helgesen said.
Now a 6-foot-2-inch sophomore opposite from Kaysville, Helgesen has grown into one of USU’s most reliable attackers and steadier voices on a team with title ambitions.
Loryn Helgesen on the court during the volleyball game against Colorado State on Nov. 6th, 2025. Photo by Hadley Sintay.
When choosing Utah State, Helgesen said it was about people first.
“As soon as I talked to the coaches, I was like, ‘You guys seem like great people,’” Helgesen said. “Coaching is a huge part of love for volleyball. If you fall into the wrong coaching hands, you could lose your love for the sport. I love this coaching staff. The campus is beautiful, and the community is so cute. I love them. They’re so supportive.”
That trust has paid off. On Oct. 27, Helgesen was voted Utah State’s America First Credit Union Student-Athlete of the Week for the second straight week and third time overall.
“I just gained more confidence as games go on,” Helgesen said.
She also earned Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, dropping 41 kills across wins over San Diego State University and University of Nevada, Las Vegas — 4.56 kills per set and 5.00 points per set on the week.
“Before games, we always meet up, and we’re like, ‘Okay, I know we’re undefeated and stuff, but you don’t get to win — you have to earn it. You’re not entitled to win,’” Helgesen said. “We have to keep playing how we’re playing.”
This mantra meshed with USU’s October surge, when the Aggies pushed to 10–0 in Mountain West play and stacked one of the program’s longest win streaks of the 21st century.
That urgency showed up on a milestone night, too: head coach Rob Neilson’s 100th career victory.
“In our last set, we came together like, ‘Okay, let’s do it for Rob,’” Helgesen said. “Nerves were a little more than usual, but we trusted ourselves and played through.”
The USU student section celebrates Rob Nielson’s 100th win as head coach of the USU Women’s Volleyball Team after a game against San Diego State at the Wayne Estes Center on Oct. 23.
Helgesen balances power with precision.
“That comes with a bunch of practice — what shots work and when,” Helgesen said. “Sometimes you feel your power and can go full heart. Other times, you know they’ve got a great block or defense, so you place it in really good spots.”
In addition to offensive hitting, she said she enjoys playing the back row offense, too.
“I love hitting the ‘D’ when I’m back row,” Helgesen said. “I have my own rotation where I get the back-row attack, and I absolutely love that.”
According to Helgesen, USU’s training environment helps refine those instincts. One of her favorite drills is 18-18.
“It’s 18-all, both sides,” Helgesen said. “Who can finish first? When we’re five points [from the end], we’re like, ‘Now is the time to lock in.’ It brings extra competitiveness and power.”
Helgesen’s sophomore campaign hasn’t been all clean lines and highlight swings. In early September, Helgesen tweaked an ankle — first at Texas A&M University and again against the University of Utah — and sat until recovered. Coming back, she said, was harder mentally than physically.
JACK LEWIS BURTON Loryn Helgesen, falls to the ground after hurting her ankle playing against Utah at the Wayne Estes Center on Sep. 6.
“I was doing a bunch of rehab … the hardest thing was the mental side of hurting it again,” Helgesen said. “In games, it was easier to take my mind off it when you’ve got something to compete against.”
That reset extended off the court, too.
“Preseason meetings with our coaches — it’s a big staple. Eat well, sleep well, get your personal time,” she said. “Last year, I didn’t sleep at all. This year, I made it a priority. I can feel it actually helping me.”
Helgesen doesn’t see herself as the loudest person in the huddle. She sees her role as steady and specific.
“I’m more level-headed,” Helgesen said. “I bring a lot of trust and uplifting [energy]. I love one-on-one compliments — ‘Hey, you did really good in this area,’ — instead of trying to be loud to the whole group.”
This energy is felt by her teammates.
“I love being [in] a rotation with [Helgesen] because it’s like, blockers don’t know where to go, which way to go, so we’re kind of killing them from both sides, and it’s kind of fun. It’s fun being on the other side, but, yeah, it’s fun. I love it,” said outside hitter Mara Štiglic after a 3-0 win against the University of Wyoming.
JACK LEWIS BURTON Loryn Helgesen, 5, spikes the ball against Wyoming at the Wayne Estes Center on Nov. 8.
The numbers hinted at where this was going: a sophomore opposite with big-match production and a team winning the regular-season Mountain West championship, which they did on Nov. 8, largely thanks to her offensive dominance.
“She’s been phenomenal. She’s going on a month now with just unbelievably great play,” Neilson said after a five-set win over San Diego State earlier this season. “We asked her to play all the way around and hit some stuff out of the back row, and she was as good as she’s been all year, and she just keeps developing that skill. She’s so imposing in so many ways and such a talented player and then so competitive.”
Helgesen’s game is fueled by a fierce calm: the belief that nothing’s guaranteed and everything’s earned.