Setting up for a bright future
Bella Ekeler is a senior volleyball player at Farragut High School. For the last
two years, she’s been the team’s setter, and, for the season that recently ended, its unofficial clear leader.
Ekeler recently granted a sit-down interview that covered a wide range of topics, beginning with her introduction to volleyball.
“(Older sister) Abby used to take me in the driveway and hit volleyballs at me as hard as she could when I was really young,” Ekeler said. “I wanted to be exactly like her.” Abby played volleyball recently for UTK.
Born in Louisiana, Ekeler has lived in eight states because of her father Mike’s football coaching career. Mike Ekeler was recently the Special Teams coordinator at UT.
Ekeler arrived in Knoxville in eighth grade and attended Hardin Valley Academy that year. Her freshman year she attended Knoxville Catholic High School, then transferred to Farragut for her sophomore year.
She credits her father with giving her the encouragement to believe in herself, and that she could excel in volleyball.
“My dad is the most positive, encouraging person in my entire life,” she said. “He always told me if I work hard enough I can be good at anything.”
In North Carolina, Ekeler was among the best players in her group. She then moved to Dallas where the competition was much stiffer.
“In Dallas, I was the worst one there,” she said. “It was so humbling, but I grew so much as a player. In Knoxville, I was able to take everything I learned in Dallas and become a better player.”
The Lady Admirals finished fourth in the state in 2024. This season the team failed to make it out of the district tournament. Ekeler, who finished the season with 603 assists and 229 digs, was asked to reflect on the role volleyball has played in her peripatetic life.
“Moving around a lot it’s always been hard to have a sense of belonging. Every other year we’re at a new school, in a new state. Volleyball has always been something that has grounded me. When I step on the court, I know who I am. I would not be half the person I am today without volleyball.”
Andre Alves has been Ekeler’s coach at FHS, and at the K-2 Training Center. Her relationship with Alves has been special.
“I love Coach Andre,” she said. “My sophomore year I had to sit out and he still let me practice with the team. He let me be a part of the team and build those relationships with the girls. He genuinely cares so much about his players. He’s just a great guy and a great coach.”
Next fall, Ekeler will take her court talents to Georgia State University.
On the personal front, faith and family are paramount in her values. She hopes to have her own family in the not-too-distant future.
Possible career choices are marketing, focusing on fashion merchandising – “I’ve always loved clothes” – or sports broadcasting. She currently works part-time in a clothing store.
Fitness and health are extremely important to Ekeler. “I’m very passionate about working out and eating healthy,” she said. A favorite food is sushi.
Ekeler was asked to name something about herself that people would be surprised to learn.
“I’m very type-A,” she said. “My room is spotless, my car is spotless. “Before I go to bed I plan out every single thing I’m gonna do the next day.”
If any middle-ager is worried about “today’s young people,” he need not include Bella Ekeler.
