Where are they now?: Colorado volleyball star Alexa Smith
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BVM) — When Alexa Smith graduated from Lewis-Palmer High School in 2015 as one of the most decorated athletes in school’s history, it seemed like that would be the end of her volleyball career in the state of Colorado. As a top-10, nationally-ranked recruit, the 6-foot-1 star outside hitter was headed east to West Lafayette, Indiana, and committed to playing Big Ten volleyball for the Purdue Boilermakers.
But after one season at Purdue, Smith returned to Colorado — where she still resides today — and added to an impressive legacy that won’t soon be forgotten in her home state.
As an All-American for Lewis-Palmer, Smith led the Rangers to back-to-back state titles in 2013 and 2014 and earned numerous national accolades along the way. She was named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year and the Gatorade Colorado Volleyball Player of the Year in 2014. She was also awarded as the National High School Coaches Association High School Player of the Year in 2015 prior to leaving Colorado for Indiana.
After spending her freshman season with the Boilermakers, Smith transferred to the University of Colorado where she would make an immediate impact and go on to become an All-American for the Buffs. When Smith’s college career came to an end in 2018, she was among the program’s top 10 all-time in kills and attacks. Smith, originally from Colorado Springs, became just the second Colorado native and the Buffaloes’ 16th player in history to reach 1,000 kills, recording 1,329 in just three seasons in Boulder.
Upon graduation from CU, Smith took on the challenge of competing with some of the world’s best players when she signed a professional contract with the Beziers Angels of Beziers, France in June 2019. An ankle injury brought an end to her first pro season in March 2020 and she returned home to Colorado where she has begun a professional career off the court as a real estate agent for Keller Williams Clients’ Choice Realty in the Denver area.
Whether Smith ever returns to the sport that brought her stardom or decides to focus on her career as a professional off the court going forward, she’s already left an indelible mark on the history of Colorado volleyball at both the high school and Division I college levels.
