Akela Yuhl

Class:
Freshman
Position:
DS
High School:
Mira Costa
Hometown:
Manhattan Beach, CA

2018: Akela saw action in 83 sets and had five assists, 15 aces and 48 digs. She had a season-high three assists versus Miami and notched a pair of aces against Georgia Tech (twice) and Miami. She had a season-high of nine digs versus Florida State.

2017: As a freshman, Akela saw action in two matches, primarily as a serving specialist, at UNLV and Clemson.

Prep: Akela came to Louisville from Manhattan Beach, where she played for Mira Costa High School and San Gabriel Elite Volleyball Club under Coach Kenji Mukai. In two years at Mira Costa, she was a team captain and a scholar athlete, leading her team to a 28-1 overall record and 7-0 record in Bay League conference play. For San Gabriel Elite 17’s, she helped the team win silver medals at both the Las Vegas Open and the Southern California Qualifier. Her team also took home a bronze medal at the Colorado Crossroads National Qualifier and that year was ranked as high as No. 4 nationally by Prep Volleyball. As the starting libero on the SG Elite 18’s, she led team to a bronze medal at Junior National’s in Dallas in 2017.

Personal: She is the daughter of Chris and Amy Yuhl. Born February 16, 1999, she has two younger sisters - Malia, a Biomedical Engineering student at Georgia Institute of Technology and Kiana who plays volleyball at Mira Costa High School and Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club. Akela is a student in the Honors College at UofL where she is majoring in biology.

Favorites:
Athlete: Kerri Walsh Jennings
Hobbies: Music and singing
Movie: Ocean’s Eleven
TV Show: Friends
Music Group: Twenty-One Pilots
Food: Fried rice and dumplings
Class: Biology
Book: The Hobbit
Favorite funny movie quote: “Why yes I do, my favorite is gouda” from She’s the Man
Team: LA Dodgers
Favorite announcer: Vin Scully
Person she’d most like to meet: Ingrid Michaelson
Words that describe her: Quirky, fun, friendly
Best advice in sports: Just go for it
Why she chose UofL: Athletic program and environment
Best part about being an athlete: Making friends, staying in shape and winning
If she won the lottery, she would: Donate to saving the ocean
Her favorite place to visit: Costa Rica
Post-College ambition: Graduate school for marine biology
Person with greatest influence on her athletic career: Her mom
Biggest thrill in sports: Really close games with a big crowd driving us to victory

Career Highs
Assists: 3 vs. Miami, Nov. 2, 2018
Aces: 2 vs. 3 opponents
Digs: 9 vs. Florida State, Nov. 4, 2018