Out of the spotlight as a libero, Reservoir’s Gabby Allen shines bright anyway

Reservoir libero Gabby Allen doesn’t mind playing a position that rarely lands in the spotlight.

A volleyball player since she was 7, Allen started as an outside hitter and spent time as a setter, but when she stopped growing at 5-feet-5, she found her niche in the back row. She realized, even as a youngster, how important the defensive position is to a fast-paced volleyball style.

“Liberos weren’t as tall as the big hitters, but I believe, every single match, [teams] were successful because they never let the ball touch the ground,” Allen said. “They always had a touch and they always got the ball. Even with one arm they got the ball up. That’s very important to volleyball. Even though the big hitters are the ones who get all the attention, the passing people are the ones who keep the rally going and make it easier for their hitters.”

The No. 3 Gators, the defending Class 3A state champions, likely wouldn’t be where they are without Allen’s accurate passing, athletic digs and vocal leadership. Reservoir improved to 8-2 with Monday night’s 3-0 win over Wilde Lake and appears ready to make another run at the state title. They’ve lost only to No. 1 Arundel and No. 2 Centennial in five sets.

Allen, who has committed to play for Howard University, leads the Gators with 181 digs -- more than a third of the team total. She also has 13 aces with a serving percentage of 94.4.

She has started for the Gators for four years. Over the past three, they’ve compiled a 36-3 record.

“From the first time I started talking to her about volleyball, I knew she had that ‘it factor,’’' Reservoir coach Carole Ferrante said.

“Gabby is just always hyper-focused on what’s going on… She’s got this very strong mental fortitude. She’s relentless, she has a very high volleyball IQ, she understands the game, she can read what’s going on, she’s very good at predicting and being able to adjust before it happens, so it’s all those things you want in a player. She does a lot of things exceptionally well.”

Ferrante was so impressed with Allen as a freshman that she made her a team captain. She has been captain ever since.

“One of the things I love about Gabby too is she just carries herself with such confidence and that is something that is very difficult sometimes to develop within a female athlete and she just exudes that. I think that makes people feel at ease. It makes them feel confident playing around her,” Ferrante said.

Reservoir teammate Kelsey Holmes, also a captain, said Allen keeps everyone focused on the court.

“She’s good at calming everyone down,” Holmes said, “and she’s good at holding everyone accountable. People underestimate a lot how that goes, because I know she’s right. I can do better for my team. It all comes out in the best possible way, but she’s a good captain and she talks a lot on and off the court.”

As a youngster, Allen tried a few other sports before she followed her sister Sydney Allen onto the volleyball court.

“My sister was my role model,” said Allen, four years younger than Sydney. “She liked volleyball and then I got into it.”

Allen started playing at the Montgomery Village Sports Association and at 13, she joined the Metro Volleyball Club of DC.

Last July, her Metro 17 Travel team finished 19th in the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship Open Division, the most competitive division in the annual championships.

While Allen is driven to excel at the highest level with one of the top volleyball clubs in the nation, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have fun. Her smile is contagious and, just as she does at Reservoir, she maintains her positive attitude.

“She’s a good teammate in general,” said Safi Hampton, a Hammond senior who plays with Allen at Metro. “Even if she’s having a completely off day, she will make sure everyone is laughing which is very valuable to have on a team.”

Since she started playing volleyball, Allen has wanted to play for Howard University. Her parents, Dawn and Curtis Allen, met there and her sister Sydney is a Howard senior.

She considered other programs, but she always knew that to combine her family legacy with her passion for volleyball would be a dream come true. She had been watching the Bison play since seventh grade and went to their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship matches in 2019 and 2021.

When June 15 after her sophomore year arrived — the earliest coaches could contact her directly — several called, but she did not hear from Howard.

“When Howard didn’t talk to me that day, I was a little disappointed,” Allen said, “but then I was like, ‘Well, life still goes on.’ And once they started talking to me over the summer and they offered me, I was ecstatic.”

She accepted the offer the same day she received it. Although family and volleyball played big roles in her decision, Howard also had exactly what she wanted academically.

Allen, who carries a 4.5 weighted GPA, plans to major in computer information systems concentrating in cybersecurity. Her grandfather and father work in the field and her sister plans to also. She said she’s been interested in information systems since joining her middle school coding club.

“It’s a nationally ranked university and as important as volleyball is, academics is also a huge part, because you don’t have volleyball forever. I was thinking about what would be academically fitting for me and they have one of the best business schools, so I knew that I would be in great hands academically. When I stop playing volleyball after college, I know I’ll be able to get a really good job.”

Adjusting to college volleyball can take a while, but Allen’s club coach, Corey Hobson, doesn’t believe it will take her long. He said her determination and her work ethic are already beyond most players at the next level.

“I think she has a good shot of seeing the court as a freshman,” Hobson said. “It’s a different environment and some kids tend to shy away and then kind of accelerate after a couple years. I don’t think Gabby’s going to do that. I think she’ll step up right away with her personality and find that role really early in her college career.”