Ohio State Athlete Balances Volleyball and Ambitions for Medical School

People have been a through line in Sarah Morbitzer’s volleyball career. From learning the game by watching her mother coach a local team to her coach and teammates at The Ohio State University, all these people helped Morbitzer on her journey. Graduating this summer, Morbitzer is reflecting on her Buckeye career and what’s next.

Starting as a walk-on player in 2020, Morbitzer earned a scholarship spot in time for her junior season, a rarity in her sport.

“Not everyone is getting money to play volleyball,” she said. “That didn’t go into my decision of being a Buckeye, because this is my dream. I wasn’t expecting any money. To be a walk-on and to end up getting a scholarship is huge.”

Even more remarkable is that Morbitzer received her scholarship after undergoing heart surgery.  She was diagnosed with a chronic heart condition two days after she was born and had her first surgery at four months. Her doctors told her family that she would need another procedure in the future.

“My doctor told me, ‘You’re going to know [when it’s time for the surgery],” she said.

And she did. After struggling during practice in the fall of 2020, Morbitzer elected to participate in a clinical trial. Instead of open-heart surgery and a six-month recovery time, the procedure would involve a minimally invasive heart catheter and, she hoped, get her back to playing in two weeks.

The night before her procedure, Morbitzer was surprised to receive a video with messages of support from her teammates.

“I was a freshman, so I hadn’t built a ton of relationships yet. I wasn’t expecting that,” she said. “That video was special. It made me feel so connected to the team, it made me feel so valued. It was cool that they did that for me.”

Morbitzer’s procedure was a success, and she started for the Buckeyes a month later, something she said she couldn’t have done without her coach’s encouragement.

Jen Flynn Oldenburg became the team’s coach Morbitzer’s freshman year. While Oldenburg wasn’t the coach she’d met as a possible walk-on, Morbitzer and her teammates still bonded quickly with their new leader.

“Being a walk-on, that was scary for me,” she said of the team’s change in leadership. “Jen is amazing and so understanding of everything I’ve gone through. She’s been a big support system for me. Not everyone can say that about their head coach. I’m grateful that the relationship we’ve built over the last four years has become that.”

As her undergraduate career draws to a close, Morbitzer already has her eyes on the horizon. An exercise science major, she plans to apply to medical school.

Morbitzer is taking a gap year and is spending the summer working in a research lab at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. As she said, “My full-time job for the last four years was volleyball. I need more experiences.”

Although medical school is challenging, Morbitzer is looking forward to it. After all, this isn’t the first challenge she’s faced.

“My whole life, I’ve had to be resilient and learn as I go,” she said. “My childhood and the last four years have set me up to be successful in medical school, no matter how hard it is.”

Morbitzer’s physician, Curt Daniels, practices at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where she had her 2020 procedure. Seeing a doctor who was available at multiple institutions helped Morbitzer understand that good medical care is seamless.

“I saw him at Ohio State first,” she said. “He knew Dr. [Aimee] Armstrong at Children’s, who ended up doing my procedure. He knew all the studies she was doing because he also worked at Children’s. If he hadn’t been there, who knows what my path would’ve been.”

It was Daniels who pointed out that volleyball was the perfect sport for Morbitzer. The short bursts of activity and the regular rest intervals meant her heart had time to recover between plays.

Blessed with so many people in her corner, Morbitzer is excited to serve the same role for others after medical school.

“Although I haven’t been to medical school and become a cardiologist yet, I think it’s going to be huge for me to show kids and parents that although a surgery is very scary, it’s doable,” she said. “It’s possible to still go live your dreams.”