BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Gwen Wolkow's journey to Campbell University certainly was a family affair.  The daughter of two collegiate athletes and oldest of three athletic siblings, Campbell's All-CAA outside hitter understood from an early age the sacrifices required not only to earn a college scholarship, but to also thrive once she arrived in Buies Creek.
 
Oh, and how did she thrive!
 
After earning Big South all-freshman team honors and helping lead her team to a regular season title, she was a mainstay on the roster that three years later captured its first CAA tournament championship.
 
Wolkow was a first-team All-CAA selection last fall when the Camels reeled off a 23-7 overall record and a 13-3 mark in league play before winning the conference title.  Campbell made its second trip to the NCAA volleyball championship in five years and squared off against eventual national champion Texas A&M in the first round.
 
In the classroom, Gwen is a four-time CAA Commissioner's honor roll student while preparing for a career in law enforcement as a criminal justice/pre-law major.
 
"I'm really grateful for my scholarship," said Wolkow.  "Not a lot of people have that opportunity of being able to play at the Division I level like I wanted to. It also helps my family a lot because college is expensive."
 
The generosity of Fighting Camel fans, alumni, family, and friends truly makes a difference in the lives of student-athletes at Campbell University.  Through the Women's Empowerment Fund, the Fighting Camel Club's goal is to make that experience even better, specifically for our female student-athletes.  To join the Fighting Camel Club, click here.
 
A family of athletes
Gwen's parents are graduates of Western Michigan University, where her father Nathan (Nate) was a defensive lineman on the football team and mother Kate competed for the Broncos volleyball team.
 
Growing up in suburban Chicago (Downers Grove), Gwen started playing volleyball while she was in the third grade.  By the time she reached high school, she knew she wanted to compete on the collegiate level.  Having parents who had competed at the highest level of collegiate athletics provided an insight into what was required of an aspiring Division I athlete.
 
"We had conversations and my parents asked, 'is this something you really want to do? We're going to put all this money into training and traveling to tournaments, is it something that you want to put yourself through seven days a week?'" Gwen recalled.
 
She joined the Sports Performance volleyball club and helped her team win an AAU U15 national championship in 2019 and finish as U17 national runner-up two years later. 
 
"With my club, we played basically every day of the week," said Gwen.  "My club was all about discipline, following the rules and (the commitment) can be really tough on you.  But it makes you into the player you're going to be in the future.  If you want to (play) volleyball in college, it really helps."
 
Traveling to Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida and the Dominican Republic with Sports Performance helped prepare Gwen for a collegiate travel schedule against CAA opponents located from Boston, Mass., to Charleston, S.C.
 
In addition to Gwen's commitments with Downers Grove North High School and Sports Performance, the Wolkow family also juggled the schedules of her younger brother George, who was pursuing a baseball career and younger sister Grace, who also competes in volleyball.
 
"On Sunday nights, we'd sit down for dinner at home, talk about what we're doing throughout the week, where we're going," Gwen recalled.  "My parents would switch off who they were going with, especially since my younger sister got into sports. They did everything they could to support us in everything we wanted to do.  They put us in the highest level we could go and let us run with it."
 
George grew to be a 6-foot-7, 240-pound outfielder and was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the seventh round of the 2023 Major League Baseball amateur draft.  Gwen was able to see him play during the 2025 season with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers and on the road against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.
 
Grace is in her freshman year of high school with a goal of a career in medicine.
 
"All of us from a young age knew what we wanted to do," said Gwen.  "My brother from middle school knew that he wanted to play major league baseball.  My sister talks about Stanford because she wants a medical degree.  We all have big dreams, big goals."
 
As the oldest child in the Wolkow family, Gwen has enjoyed watching her siblings grow into the persons they've become.
 
"My brother graduated high school a year early, and not many people have the opportunity to be drafted and do what he's doing," said Gwen.  "I'm really proud of him. He's always working. When (the family traveled) to the NCAA tournament, he was working out in the hotel gym. He doesn't take any days off."
 
Gwen has been away from home for much of the last four years competing and pursuing her degree at Campbell and has been impressed by Grace's improvement.
 
"It's crazy to see that growth in my younger sister, she's six years younger than me, and she gets better every year," said Gwen. "When we were at my last game, she looked at me, started crying and said, 'I'm never going to see you play again.'  From a big sister point of view, you really have that effect on your younger siblings."
 
Why Campbell?
Like many students who choose to attend Campbell, Wolkow was attracted to a smaller campus with smaller classes that provided more individual attention.  She also knew that she wanted to go to a school that was in a place that did not have to endure the bitter cold winter of her hometown in the Great Lakes region.
 
While attending Campbell's volleyball camp the summer after her freshman year of high school, Gwen met future teammates Melody Paige and Claranne Fechter.
 
"At camp, I really enjoyed the girls on the team; it really matters how well you get along with the people there," said Gwen.  "I like the smaller school aspect, smaller classes, I can walk from my apartment to class."
 
The turnaround
After a four-year build to becoming one of the best volleyball programs in the Big South, then the CAA, graduation losses and injuries played a large part in Campbell struggling to an uncharacteristic losing season (6-22 overall, 4-14 CAA) in 2024.
 
Wolkow and her teammates were determined that 2025 would be different.  Despite being picked 10th in the preseason CAA poll, Campbell posted a 23-7 overall record, 13-3 mark in the CAA.  The 17-win improvement from the previous year was tops among all Division I volleyball programs.  All four losses outside of conference play came at the hands of "Power 4" members.
 
"We just thought, it's not going to happen again," said Gwen.  "We focused on team chemistry and building our culture back up.  A lot of people worked really hard, and that hard work paid off.  After being picked second to last in the preseason poll we were definitely angry and then losing two games to Charleston (Oct. 3-4), we really wanted to prove ourselves."
 
In the CAA Championship at Towson, Md., Campbell rallied from 2-1 set deficits against Stony Brook in the semifinals and Hofstra in the final to claim the title.  In fact, Campbell held off three match points against the Pride, recovering from a 24-21 deficit in the fourth set, to win 26-24.  The Camels then won the fifth set 15-12 to punch their ticket to the NCAAs.
 
"It was a great way to end your college career," said Wolkow.  "Yes, we lost to Texas A&M but being in that environment and around those fans is something that a lot of people don't get to do.  We're all really grateful for that experience."
 
Off the court
Despite a demanding athletic and academic schedule, Gwen found the time to enjoy her collegiate experience in a number of ways – including one that is certainly uncommon for many students.
 
During breaks in her freshman and sophomore year, she attended Maui Surfer Girls – a camp in Hawaii for adult women who want to learn to surf.
 
"I had never surfed before, but I loved it," she said.  "Everyone was so involved and included. It was about opening up, getting to know each other, building relationships. A lot of people there were beginners. As an athlete, it was nice because I caught on really fast. Being able to stand up on a surfboard and ride a wave is really exhilarating."
 
Last summer, Wolkow completed an internship with her local police department.  That experience helped her decide on a career in law enforcement rather than pursuing law school.
 
"In high school, I thought I'd go to law school, but I became more intrigued about the law enforcement aspect. My internship confirmed that."
 
After graduating in May, Wolkow plans to join a police department, work for two years then apply to the FBI or stay in the force and eventually join a SWAT unit.
 
"I definitely don't want to work at a desk, I want to be out and about," said Wolkow.  "My grandpa was in the Army.  It's in my blood, I guess."
 
Gwen Wolkow's collegiate experience has provided her with lifelong friendships and memories, not to mention athletic and academic honors, plus three team trophies and a trip to the postseason.
 
Her advice to someone just starting their college experience?
 
"The hard days building up to finding out where you want to go to college are worth it. You have those hardships, but if you can get through them, you're on your way to success in anything," she said.  "Be open to change. Coming to college there's a lot of changes you have to get used to.  Every year the seniors on this team have done a good job involving the freshmen, including them, getting to know them. Each of the seniors is really close with at least one of the freshmen.  To have that kind of relationship, once that freshman experiences it, then they can do it when they are seniors."