Fresno State Athletics
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/ Women's Volleyball
Sisterhood on the court: Lombardis bring family bond to Fresno State Volleyball
4/13/2026 12:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
FRESNO, Calif. – Anyone around the athletic department, from the Red Wave to coaches and staff, can tell you: Fresno State is family.
Fresno State Volleyball's Olivia and Gabby Lombardi feel that on a whole different level. The sisters are entering their second season together on the Bulldog squad in 2026.
The Lombardis tried a few different sports before landing on volleyball, including wrestling, softball and soccer. Ultimately, volleyball won out. "We both love it so much; it's always been a passion. The cool thing about us is, yes, we're siblings. Yes, we've spent all this time together, but we're also two individual people, and I think our passion and love for this game are different," Olivia said. "I've never had to remind Gabby that she loves this game, and she's never had to do that with me because we love it so much."
"My favorite memory of Gabby is when she was five or six years old, and she was learning how to serve over the net. She finally got it over the net, and it was the cutest thing ever. That's my first memory of Gabby, her finally getting her serve over the net and being so excited about it," Olivia added.
The sisters didn't start playing volleyball on the same team until high school. Their age gap is just large enough to put them on different club teams growing up. "In the beginning, when we first started playing together, we could be a little bit argumentative from time to time," Gabby said. "My junior year of high school and [Olivia's] senior year is when we really clicked. We realized that we make a better team than separate people."
Olivia began her college career at Iowa, where she redshirted as a freshman before making her debut in 2024. After the 2024 season, Olivia entered the transfer portal and later joined her younger sister at Fresno State.
At the start of her college career, Olivia was concerned that she was losing her love of the game. "I wasn't sure if I could keep doing this, and that's when Gabby said, 'Well, just come hang out with me for a little bit.' It really opened my eyes, and I knew I was not ready to be done."
Aside from her little sister being a Bulldog, Olivia knew Fresno State was the right place for her after talking with Head Coach Leisa Rosen. "Leisa and this coaching staff are so supportive and have so much knowledge of the game. Beyond that, they have so much passion," Olivia said. "You walk into this gym, you walk into the culture, and you know there's so much love in the culture, and I knew this is where I want to be."
"I was really excited," Gabby said of Olivia becoming a Bulldog. "She brings a lot to a team, both tangible and intangible. She is a very calm presence on the court. You know that you can rely on her. She never loses her cool. That's something you want on the court, especially out of a libero."
Playing college volleyball at different schools before becoming college teammates gave the sisters a fresh perspective on the court. "For me, it's knowing that no matter what, there is always someone on the court who is going to love me unconditionally," Olivia said.
"Being truly known, truly loved and truly seen by someone on the court, you can be yourself and know that you have at least one person on the court who will never judge you or stop loving you for who you are," Gabby added.
The Lombardi sisters come from a family of high-level athletes. Their mother, Kari, played volleyball at Minnesota State and later became a coach. "We grew up around [volleyball]. I was sleeping in the ball carts, using the balls as blankets," Gabby said. "We were around it our whole lives and loved it."
Gabby and Olivia's other siblings also have experience as both collegiate and professional athletes. Their oldest sibling, Rocky, played football for Michigan State before transferring to NIU. After his college career, he played professionally for the Michigan Panthers, a UFL team in Detroit. Beau, their second-oldest sibling, played football at Army West Point, and their older sister Payton played volleyball at Tennessee Tech. In addition, their father, Tony, played football at Arizona State.
"Everything we did was always a competition," Olivia said of their athlete-riddled home. "Having our parents be former athletes helped us learn responsibility. Our house was a tight ship."
The Lombardi sisters both pride themselves on their ability to separate being sisters from being teammates. "When we're on the court, [Gabby] is my teammate. I treat her the way I treat all of my teammates," Olivia said. "We are a sisterhood; we are a family."
"It's funny, when we are on the court, we become friends rather than sisters. We are cheering each other on," Gabby added. "On the court, we're almost closer than off the court."
The Lombardi sisters and the rest of the Fresno State volleyball team will be back on the court in the fall.
Fresno State Volleyball's Olivia and Gabby Lombardi feel that on a whole different level. The sisters are entering their second season together on the Bulldog squad in 2026.
The Lombardis tried a few different sports before landing on volleyball, including wrestling, softball and soccer. Ultimately, volleyball won out. "We both love it so much; it's always been a passion. The cool thing about us is, yes, we're siblings. Yes, we've spent all this time together, but we're also two individual people, and I think our passion and love for this game are different," Olivia said. "I've never had to remind Gabby that she loves this game, and she's never had to do that with me because we love it so much."
"My favorite memory of Gabby is when she was five or six years old, and she was learning how to serve over the net. She finally got it over the net, and it was the cutest thing ever. That's my first memory of Gabby, her finally getting her serve over the net and being so excited about it," Olivia added.
The sisters didn't start playing volleyball on the same team until high school. Their age gap is just large enough to put them on different club teams growing up. "In the beginning, when we first started playing together, we could be a little bit argumentative from time to time," Gabby said. "My junior year of high school and [Olivia's] senior year is when we really clicked. We realized that we make a better team than separate people."
Olivia began her college career at Iowa, where she redshirted as a freshman before making her debut in 2024. After the 2024 season, Olivia entered the transfer portal and later joined her younger sister at Fresno State.
At the start of her college career, Olivia was concerned that she was losing her love of the game. "I wasn't sure if I could keep doing this, and that's when Gabby said, 'Well, just come hang out with me for a little bit.' It really opened my eyes, and I knew I was not ready to be done."
Aside from her little sister being a Bulldog, Olivia knew Fresno State was the right place for her after talking with Head Coach Leisa Rosen. "Leisa and this coaching staff are so supportive and have so much knowledge of the game. Beyond that, they have so much passion," Olivia said. "You walk into this gym, you walk into the culture, and you know there's so much love in the culture, and I knew this is where I want to be."
"I was really excited," Gabby said of Olivia becoming a Bulldog. "She brings a lot to a team, both tangible and intangible. She is a very calm presence on the court. You know that you can rely on her. She never loses her cool. That's something you want on the court, especially out of a libero."
Playing college volleyball at different schools before becoming college teammates gave the sisters a fresh perspective on the court. "For me, it's knowing that no matter what, there is always someone on the court who is going to love me unconditionally," Olivia said.
"Being truly known, truly loved and truly seen by someone on the court, you can be yourself and know that you have at least one person on the court who will never judge you or stop loving you for who you are," Gabby added.
The Lombardi sisters come from a family of high-level athletes. Their mother, Kari, played volleyball at Minnesota State and later became a coach. "We grew up around [volleyball]. I was sleeping in the ball carts, using the balls as blankets," Gabby said. "We were around it our whole lives and loved it."
Gabby and Olivia's other siblings also have experience as both collegiate and professional athletes. Their oldest sibling, Rocky, played football for Michigan State before transferring to NIU. After his college career, he played professionally for the Michigan Panthers, a UFL team in Detroit. Beau, their second-oldest sibling, played football at Army West Point, and their older sister Payton played volleyball at Tennessee Tech. In addition, their father, Tony, played football at Arizona State.
"Everything we did was always a competition," Olivia said of their athlete-riddled home. "Having our parents be former athletes helped us learn responsibility. Our house was a tight ship."
The Lombardi sisters both pride themselves on their ability to separate being sisters from being teammates. "When we're on the court, [Gabby] is my teammate. I treat her the way I treat all of my teammates," Olivia said. "We are a sisterhood; we are a family."
"It's funny, when we are on the court, we become friends rather than sisters. We are cheering each other on," Gabby added. "On the court, we're almost closer than off the court."
The Lombardi sisters and the rest of the Fresno State volleyball team will be back on the court in the fall.
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