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Bella Bell brings experience, 'competitive mentality' to Auburn Volleyball

by Greg Ostendorf

AUBURN, Ala. – In the spring of 2021, Bella Bell reached the pinnacle of collegiate volleyball. A redshirt freshman at Kentucky at the time, Bell helped the Wildcats win their first national championship in program history.

In Bell’s three seasons at Kentucky, the Wildcats lost just five SEC matches and won the conference all three years, sharing the honors with Florida last year.

And yet, Bell chose to transfer after last season despite all the team success. Why? Because she was looking at life after volleyball, and Kentucky didn’t offer any kind of wildlife program. Meanwhile, Auburn has one of the best wildlife programs in the SEC. It’s why Auburn was one of Bell’s favorite schools coming out of high school.

“I was like, ‘I know where I want to go. It’s Auburn,’” Bell recalled. “Brent (Crouch), new head coach. Building the program to be successful. Everything timed up perfectly for me in terms of Auburn getting better, the wildlife program, they had a scholarship available. It was pretty easy.”

As soon as she graduated from Kentucky, Bell left for Auburn. She arrived at the end of May and after two weeks of practice, she joined the team on their foreign tour to Europe.  

Now, five months later, Bell is one of the top players for an Auburn team ranked No. 24 nationally and fourth in the SEC at 8-4. But to say it’s been an adjustment going from Kentucky to Auburn would be an understatement. 

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Bell, a fifth-year senior, is playing right side for the first time after being a middle blocker her entire life. She is also one of the oldest players on a team made up primarily of sophomores. She’s been in the spotlight at Kentucky whereas the spotlight is relatively new for Auburn.

“They’re coming off a really good season, one of the best they ever had,” Bell said. “They played with nothing on their shoulders. They were just out there playing for fun. They had no stress, nothing. And I came into a season this year where now they have a chip on their shoulder. They’re ranked. People are playing their best against Auburn all the time. And I think that was something really new for them.”

Bell still remembers when she first got to Auburn, and hearing a teammate say, “I think (insert team) is going to win the SEC because they usually do.” She quickly corrected them. “No, we are going to win this.”

“You have to be competitors all the time when you have a chip on your shoulder because everyone is going to play you the best that they ever had,” Bell said.

Just come. This team is really young. We’re breaking records constantly. Don’t you want to be a part of that? Just be a part of something great and come to our games.”

Bella Bell

“Last season, everyone was just like, ‘Oh, this is Auburn Volleyball. We can come out and do whatever.’ But this year, it’s like, ‘We have to bring our best every single time,’ And that starts in practice. You’ve got to compete 24/7. It’s not like, ‘I just want to compete today or have fun today.’ It’s like, ‘You’re at this next level where you have to compete all the time.’”

That mentality has rubbed off on Bell’s teammates, and with every win – whether it was a sweep on the road at No. 3 Florida or the five-set thriller at Texas A&M this past weekend – there’s a growing belief around the program.

“She is by far one of the most competitive people I have ever met,” Auburn sophomore Sarah Morton said. “You take someone that has all of these awards and accomplishments and a go-getter mentality and you put that on a team with young talent, and it rubs off very fast. We’ve walked into games like, ‘Man, that’s a good team.’ And we’ve walked out saying, ‘But we’re better.’

“Part of that does come from Bella, and I’m very grateful that mentality is able to rub off on all of us.”

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As wins continue to mount for this Auburn team, the excitement around the program continues to grow as well. It started last year when the Tigers not only reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history, but they also knocked off No. 14 Creighton in the first round.

But unlike Kentucky, which is already established, Auburn is a program that is still being built. At first, Bell didn’t know how to adjust to that. It was completely new. But she’s since embraced it and has helped get the word out, being more vocal and even developed skills she didn’t know she had.  

“I think I just really love the time that I came here,” she said. “Auburn Volleyball is growing. Right now, we’re trying to get more fans into Neville Arena and build the culture, and it’s really unique to be a part of that. You never really had to try at Kentucky to get fans to come to our game. So, I think it’s really fun to be able to go out in the community, meet with frats and sororities and other parts of Auburn that I never got to.”

So, what is Bell’s message to Auburn fans this season?

“Just come,” she said. “This team is really young. We’re breaking records constantly. Don’t you want to be a part of that? Just be a part of something great and come to our games.”

The next opportunity for fans to watch Auburn Volleyball is Wednesday night at Neville Arena when the Tigers host Bell’s former team, No. 13 Kentucky.

“It’s going to be super fun seeing all my ex-teammates that I played with for so long,” Bell said. “I’m as excited as anyone would be. But it would be so fun to beat them.”