Marin Grote’s passions and talents extend far beyond the volleyball court.
Story by Steve Vedder / Photo by Mark Newman
Marin Grote has no shortage of passions.
In fact, the California native and middle blocker for the Grand Rapids Rise can trace her desire of having multiple interests back to her early teens, when her parents initially pointed out the benefits of living a well-rounded life.
"My parents, and my mom especially, were advocates of doing multiple things, kind of being a jack-of-all-trades as long as I didn't get burned out," Grote said. "They wanted me to go places and appreciate things."
Which is exactly how the 25-year-old Grote has led her life. Her passions are currently focused on meeting the challenges of being a professional athlete, but they have also included the legal field, the exhaustive study of human nature, an ability to play three musical instruments, dabbling in politics, and even a brief fling as a child actress.
Once she made the commitment to pursue a volleyball career during her sophomore season at the University of Washington, that's where she's devoted virtually all of her energies. But the rest, she admits, aren’t lurking far from the surface.
As she enters her second year as a member of the Rise, Grote said her passion for a life outside the sport has by no means diminished. It's merely been put on hold. Volleyball may head her list, but her desire to view life beyond the boundaries of a court has not wavered.
"I've always wanted to be a well-rounded person," she said. "I will stay committed to volleyball as long as I can because I love the sport, but people need to grow. One of the things I love about volleyball is I can show young people what being a professional athlete is like. I'm very grateful to my mom and dad for getting me to do a lot of things."
Her interests, however, always began with athletics. Grote earned 10 varsity letters in four sports in high school, including volleyball, basketball, softball, and track. She was a three-time most valuable player in her high school’s volleyball league and a member of Volleyball Magazine's Fab 50. Grote was also an all-conference basketball player and a first baseman/pitcher in softball.
Grote was such a versatile high school athlete that she remembers her school's basketball coach drifting past a volleyball practice. One look told the coach that Grote had the natural ability to succeed at basketball.
"Something else I wanted to try," she said.
Like most elite high school athletes, Grote reached a point where her sporting future had to be narrowed. Grote wound up playing volleyball at Washington, where she was an All-Pac 12 performer and a second-team AVCA All-American. She helped the Huskies to the 2020 Final Four and ranks fourth in team history with a career .380 attacking percentage.
Actually, Grote said her volleyball career didn't really take off until after graduating from Washington in 2022. She credits playing professionally with the Sigorta Shop team in Turkey in 2022-23 for bridging the gap between being a good collegiate player to one who had a chance to carve out a pro career. While there was much about the country itself that Grote wasn't exactly enamored with, she did learn in four months what it would take to play professionally.
Grote said she often disagreed with the coach, had only one English-speaking teammate, and had trouble adjusting to everything from the food to travel. But the real eye-opener came when the country suffered a 7.9 magnitude earthquake near the Syrian border. It was far enough away from where Grote was staying that she didn't feel any adverse effects, but it caused massive worry among family and friends back in the United States.
"I awoke to 50 missed calls on my phone," said Grote. "Culturally, it was tough being away from my family. Then there was the earthquake."
What those five months in Turkey did accomplish was improve Grote as a player. Having to hone other parts of her game – something she wasn't entirely forced to do in high school or college – led to vast improvement. She became a better server, middle blocker, and defender, then returned to the United States mentally tougher, physically improved, and ready to take on the next level of her sport. Grote began playing with Athletes Unlimited in the fall of 2023.
Thoughts of a professional career were initially planted by her teammates during her sophomore season at Washington. Their encouragement, later combined with her overseas experience, left Grote with hopes that a professional career could be had.
"Everything I did in Turkey was kicked up a notch. I came back seeing what a faster game was like. I came back knowing what I had to do. I came back with all these skills," she said.
"But it just wasn't volleyball. I think I came back a better person. I wouldn't choose to play there again, but there were good things in Turkey for me. I think I came back more of a finished player with more power.
"I saw the opportunity when I was at Washington, when the older players encouraged me to go for it. That's when I really tried to kick it into overdrive. Then I went to Turkey and wound up learning more."
Grote has carried her talent to the pro level. As a member of the Rise’s inaugural squad last season, Grote played in 25 of 26 matches and led the team in blocks (69) and aces (17). She played a key role in the team’s march to the PVF championship match.
Rise head coach Cathy George has been most impressed by Grote’s constant work ethic, emphasizing that she is meticulous toward the game and processes information extremely well. When you combine Grote’s natural athletic talent with her physical prowess and work ethic, what you wind up with is a highly successful professional athlete.
"She always wants to be better and her attitude as a player is, 'What do you need now?’" George said. "She's always ready to work, never high-maintenance. She comes out the same every day.”
As impressive as Grote's athletic resume is, it hardly defines her. She holds three degrees from Washington, in biological anthropology, human evolution, and political science. Viewed as a whole, those degrees explain her deep interest in politics as well as a curiosity in anthropology – basically, the study of what makes human beings tick. If she weren’t a professional athlete, Grote said she would likely be a lawyer. Her interest in the law can be traced back to a high school debating class that forced her to consider all sides of an argument. It's also at least part of why she's attracted to politics.
"I think human evolution is fascinating, and I like politics, but I also fell in love with corporate law. If I didn't play volleyball, I'd be in law school. Law is something I would pursue," she said. "I love debating and having to back up what you believe with evidence. I think it's interesting to see why people think like they do.
"I've always thought it was important to stay in the know. It's our duty to know where our country is headed. And with law, it's important to know what's right and what's wrong. You need to do your research in terms of knowing what's going on."
With a fledging pro volleyball career and a keen desire to pursue the law at some point, Grote has yet another side: music. She plays three instruments – the flute, piccolo, and piano – with a special interest in classical and orchestra-based music.
Grote's mother, Laurie, is a studio musician who grew up playing the piano and woodwinds. Her father, Paul, manages a printing company. Grote said her mother had a desire to pass along her love of music to her daughter, and Grote has found it fits perfectly into her own often-hectic life. It's an excellent way of pushing the pressure of being a professional athlete to the background.
Grote went on to be a member of her middle school and high school bands and performed with her sister, Lydia. The trio last played at a Christmas party a couple years ago.
"I think it was important to my mother that she pass [love of music] on to me," Grote said. "She wanted to see her kids do something she loved.
"Having an outlet besides sports is important to me. The music sort of fell on the back burner, but I've always been glad my mother was strict enough that I did things that were breaks from high school sports. Music is something I would like to pick up again, just not at the moment."
Grote has something else in common with her sister besides music. Lydia, two years younger, was drafted by the Orlando Valkyries in the third round of Pro Volleyball Federation’s 2024 Draft in November. The sisters played one season together in high school when Grote was a senior and Lydia a sophomore, and they could be back on the same court – albeit on opposite sides of the net – if Lydia chooses to sign with Orlando over playing in Europe. The Rise and Valkyries will meet four times this season, beginning Jan. 30 at Van Andel Arena.
While Grote describes herself as a vocal player, she said her sister is much the opposite, and probably more calculating.
"We might move similarly, but we're different people. She's more reserved and plans her moves more than me," she said.
Grote said the best advice she's offered her sister has been not to worry about past choices or dwell excessively on the future. Simply enjoy the moment.
"Most importantly, I've told her just enjoy the sport," she said "Just enjoy where you are now and don't worry about the future. And I think she has a bright future in volleyball."
There's even more to Grote's varied background. The rare pro athlete with an IMDB.com page, she was a childhood actress who was once in an episode of “iCarly” as well as a handful of movies and commercials.
Her first movie, when she was 6, was called "Paper Lantern," and for her initial entry into acting she was paid the princely sum of $50. She remembers being in movies called "Exodus" and "Keepers of the Light," horror flicks that may be familiar to late-night television watchers. And she and sister Lydia were once on a large billboard in California promoting some long-forgotten healthcare theme.
What eventually drove Grote out of acting were the long trips from her home in Burbank to Santa Monica, where much of the filming took place. Grote also recalls physical changes in her body were a sign that acting would soon fade away. She said many female actresses are no more than 5-foot-4, certainly no taller than 5-foot-8. Grote was 6-foot-2 by the time she was 12 years old.
"To me now, [acting is] just something I once did," she said. "I would probably model if someone asked me. I still have an interest in that."
As her interests in athletics grew, the acting bug fell by the wayside. The desire to be in front of the camera as a 6-year-old soon gave way to Little League softball, then multiple sports, success at the University of Washington, and finally to Grand Rapids.
"I started playing softball when I was like 5 or 6, then I branched out because my friends were in sports," she said. "I remember enjoying sports more, and I was more successful at them."
Grote has no second thoughts about having myriad interests. While some parents today prefer their young athletes to specialize in a single sport, not to mention forgo or limit interests other than athletics, that has never been the case in Grote's world.
"Doing so much can cause burnout,” Grote said, “but I played so many sports I think they kept me healthy. There are only so many hours in a day and I think athletes need other things to counter sports."
Given her variety of interests, Grote can draw a parallel between what she has picked up in her off-court pursuits, whether it be the law, music or politics, and her success in volleyball.
"In volleyball you have to keep playing to learn," she said. "No matter how good you think you are – you can be at the top of your game – you can still grow as a person. You can always keep getting better while knowing there are other areas out there you can be interested in.
“There is never only one option."