On the 1,000-Mile Rohde from one family to another

By Joshua Yuhas

Nearly 1,000 miles away from her new home in Lawrenceville, a future collegiate volleyball star was brewing in the small town of Hortonville, Wisconsin, training to make it onto the courts one day like someone close to her.

After years of training and competing alongside her sister in Hortonville, senior middle blocker Molly Rohde packed her bags from one small town to another, finding a new family on Rider’s campus.

Getting the ball rolling

Athletics was always a world that Rohde was used to and, like many collegiate competitors, she was a multi-sport athlete growing up.

Taking swings off the tee and trotting out to the first-base position, putting up shots on the basketball court and developing her hitting skills on the volleyball court since middle school, there was no keeping Rohde away from athletics.

While not directly connected, her experiences on the softball field and the basketball court developed movements she took into her volleyball career.

“I feel like basketball just helped me be quick on my feet and change directions fast, which really helps with being a blocker,” Rohde said.

From softball to taking on the basketball and volleyball courts, it became a busy schedule for Rohde to manage, forcing her to make a choice.

Considering all the pros and cons, the tight schedule forced her to drop club sports and, once collegiate athletics came into play, there was one that stood out among the rest.

“I think that I made some great friendships and stuff like that with those other sports, but I think ultimately I just knew that volleyball was the sport for me,” Rohde said.

‘I wanted to be like her’

 Volleyball was enticing to Rohde by its own merit; however, seeing someone close to her playing the sport truly tipped the scales toward the court.

When a young Rohde was paving her route to athletics, she was constantly observing the intricacies of bumping, setting and spiking.

Many gain their inspiration from a professional athlete they followed along with or a coach that gave them that first taste of organized sports, but for Rohde, it was someone closer.

“It was actually my older sister who inspired me to start playing volleyball because she played it. I thought that it was really cool that she played it and I wanted to be like her,” Rohde said.

Her older sister, Maggie, also played high school volleyball with Hortonville High School as a middle.

In that season, Maggie would end with 142 kills across the season and 54 total blocks, becoming a chance where paths ended up crossing for the sisters.

“We actually played together when I was a freshman and she was a senior in high school. So that was definitely very interesting,” Rohde said. “It was cool to be on the court with your older sister.” 

Molly would follow in her sister’s footsteps, taking on the same position when she produced 170 kills and 42 total blocks in her sophomore year.

At this point, she began to find herself onto the radars of collegiate programs, including local colleges and in Lawrenceville.

For Head Coach Jeff Rotondo and the Rider coaching staff, this was when they first picked up on recruiting the Wisconsin talent to the East Coast.

“She initially got on my radar when she was at the end of her sophomore year, going into junior year of high school, so we could start those conversations,” Rotondo said.

After getting her foot in the door, Rohde built upon that season with 171 kills and 85 blocks in her junior year.

Finally, she had a breakout senior year with 280 kills, 94 total blocks and 3.0 kills per set in her final high school season.

From having fun messing around with the volleyball, the two connected on the court, but even as they grew up, Rohde had that example to follow.

Maggie, after high school, went into Division II volleyball, and once Molly’s time came, she found her own road into collegiate volleyball at the Division I level a bit easier with her sister’s recruiting experience assisting along the way.

 “I think it was really great to have an older sister who went through the recruiting process and helped me with a lot of the difficulties that come with that,” Rohde said.

Embracing the Broncs 

A crucial crossroads faced Rohde, as she now had to make the decision of where to go next. 

For Rotondo, there was sharp competition with geographical advantages, so the pitch had to be just right to bring her out from her home state.

“We needed to provide what she was looking for. That was this family feeling and that the coaching style was what she was looking for,” Rotondo said.

There was not a direct change to the recruiting methods to bring in Rohde, but more so just an expression of the team’s core values.

For the Rider staff, they needed to bring that right feel and connection with the program, and for Rohde it became the right fit.

“The biggest thing is, you want to find a team and a culture that feels like a family,” Rohde said. “That was the biggest thing that stood out to me with Rider. Even though it was so far away, it felt like a home away from home in a way.”

As challenging as taking everything you once knew and moving to a new location can be, Rotondo and his staff ensured that she was comfortable from the jump.

The connection with the program became instantly recognizable and there was no challenge in getting acclimated to the culture.

“She’s very personal, friendly and smiles a lot. She has a really good disposition and joy about her,” Rotondo said. 

From day one, it was not only the staff that helped to make her fit in on the court, but also the players that helped to mold how she went through her time with the Broncs.

Former Bronc middle hitter Carley McAleavey, ’26, helped to instill the new family away from home for Rohde to join into.

“She was someone that has always really encouraged me and helped me throughout this program,” Rohde said. “How to be a good middle here. She’s just someone that I’ve always really looked up to throughout my years here.”

Reaching her final form 

Rohde has spent all her collegiate years with the Broncs, where in that time she has developed as a leader on and off the court.

On the court, Rohde has helped the Broncs to the second round of the conference tournament, even making the trip to the finals in the 2025 season.

From the jump, Rohde established herself as a key piece, building leadership qualities early on. 

“Her actions speak a lot. It really was easy for her to slide into not only being a teammate, but a contributor for our program quickly,” Rotondo said.

As a freshman, Rohde earned a spot on the then Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Rookie team with 136 kills and a team-leading 78 blocks.

The following season, she placed second in the conference for total blocks and blocks per set with 139 total blocks and 1.28 blocks per set, respectively, displaying her defensive prowess.

Her offensive game also continued to build, finishing fifth on the team with 143 kills and 22 aces, receiving the honors of second team All-MAAC for her work that season.

The biggest development that Rohde found in her journey as a Bronc on the court was heading into her junior year, where the coaches worked to fine-tune her skills, helping propel the Broncs to the final.

“We worked a lot in the spring season on her offense heading into last year, and that improved, and it helped contribute greatly to our success last year in getting to the finals,” Rotondo said. 

In her 30 matches as a junior, Rohde was second in the conference for total blocks with 121, also ending fifth on the team with 135 kills.

Rohde moved into seventh in program history with 338 career blocks before her senior season.

Leading the way

Since the beginning, she was a mature and joyous member of the volleyball team with the staff believing that success is inevitable for the senior.

“We see her developing into this really strong, independent young woman that has obviously some things that she deals with in her life that are sometimes difficult, but she handles them in a good way,” Rotondo said. 

Rotondo also praised Rohde’s work ethic and her approach to show what it takes to succeed while helping out, like she once was helped.

 “I think that supporting the players around me and really helping the young girls here in this program thrive is really going to be key for this season,” Rohde said. “All of us upperclassmen just really showing and paving the way for them, I think will really, really help this season.” 

While, by distance, the families may be quite far, Rohde has found her place with her new one at Rider and has seen herself grow across her career.

“Throughout my time here, I’ve been able to grow and find my voice and confidence as a player and a person,” Rohde said. “I’m very grateful for the people here. They push me every day to be better.”