More Than a Visit
Nick Gruber
At the end of an athlete’s career, one of the first people they thank is their family.
For most college athletes, that support comes from a distance. Parents who once drove to practices and tournaments now watch from afar, following along from home.
For Boise State beach volleyball players Lily Patock and Elli Wolthuis, that hasn’t always been the case over their collegiate careers.
Instead, Patock and Wolthuis have spent time competing in front of their families, just in a new kind of home. Both were fortunate enough to have their parents eventually make the move to Boise.
Wolthuis, a senior from Gilbert, Arizona, began playing indoor volleyball around age 12. Not long after, she started playing beach with friends after practice and quickly realized where she fit.
“We had a beach right next to our indoor complex, and we started to love that more,” Wolthuis said. “I realized I wasn’t going to be tall enough to be a blocker, and I wanted to go Division I. I loved beach volleyball.”
Early into her volleyball career, Wolthuis committed fully to the sand. Growing up in Arizona helped. The state has one of the strongest high school and club beach volleyball scenes in the country, and after a few seasons, she began to see a future in the sport.
By her junior year, college coaches were taking notice. At a tournament in Washington, she first saw Boise State head coach Alex Venardos.
“I didn’t even know Boise State had a team,” she said. “I didn’t talk to him because I didn’t think I’d go there since I wanted to go to a real beach.”
Later that summer, she saw him again. After noticing him watching her court, Wolthuis reached out and eventually took an unofficial visit to Boise.
“I wanted a new experience. Four seasons, somewhere I could start new. I could tell the people there really cared” she said.
Around the time Wolthuis committed, another member of the 2022 class was finding her own path to Boise.
Patock, a native of Sacramento, California, came to beach volleyball later than most. She started in indoor volleyball in fifth grade, but didn’t discover the sport until early in high school, around the time the COVID-19 pandemic shut down gyms.
Looking for a way to keep playing, she found a unique solution. One of her coaches converted a parking lot into two sand courts. Even though it was nearly an hour away, Patock made the drive almost every day. She committed fully to beach by her junior year.
Because of her late start, her recruiting process lagged behind. Determined to play at the next level, Patock took it into her own hands.
“I sent out what felt like a million emails with my film,” she said.
Boise State was already on her radar as a school. When she heard back from Venardos, everything changed.
“I remember I finally got an email back from Alex, and I went to my parents crying, asking, ‘What do I say?’” Patock said. “From there on, I knew that as soon as I got an offer from Boise, I was going to take that.”
And she did.
The Transition
Elli and Lily’s paths to Boise were different, but both eventually found the same thing off the sand - family in the crowd.
It just didn’t happen the same way for each of them.
After her freshman year away from Arizona, Wolthuis had grown accustomed to life on her own. What came next was unexpected.
Her parents called and told her they were moving to Idaho.
“My first thought was, ‘Dang, you guys are really going to follow me?’” Wolthuis said. “I was thinking, ‘This is my college, I want my own space.’”
Although it wasn’t what she wanted at the time, the move was driven by her father Tim’s job. The family initially tried to stay in Arizona, but the opportunity became too difficult to pass up.
“I remember we called her and told her he was taking it and we were moving,” said Tess Wolthuis, Elli’s mother. “She hung up.”
What initially felt like a disruption quickly became something more.
“I cannot imagine if they didn’t move. It’s been amazing,” Wolthuis said. “I was already close with my family, but this experience is awesome. Just the small things like going out to coffee, bringing my friends and teammates over to their house.”
The sentiment is shared by her parents, who have embraced a larger role within the program.
“It’s a blessing for us, and I feel like it’s been a blessing for the girls, just knowing they have a family here watching over them. We’ve gotten to know a lot of the athletes, and it’s been fun to support them. It feels like we’ve become a family for a lot of them.”Tess Wolthuis, Elli's mom
“It’s awesome to have a place to go when you’re feeling down, especially for younger girls who are away from home for the first time,” Patock said. “So it’s really good to have a community of people, and a mom hug, even if it’s not your own mom.”
The move has also given the Wolthuis family a closer look at the beach volleyball program and the culture built by Venardos.
While Wolthuis’ adjustment came during her sophomore year, Patock’s experience looked different.
Patock arrived in Boise in 2022. It wasn’t until her senior year that she received an important call from her parents.
Her father, John, an avid outdoorsman, had spent years visiting Idaho and always hoped to make the move to the Treasure Valley. With children who had built their lives in California, the family chose to wait until both were in college.
Although Lily knew her father eventually wanted to move, the timing still caught her off guard.
“They called me and said, ‘Ok, I think we’re going to do it finally,’” Patock said. “It was a little bit of a slow burn, but I still thought, ‘Jeez, they really did it.’”
Despite only arriving in November of 2025, Patock’s parents quickly settled into the team’s family atmosphere.
“The cool part is we started doing weekly dinners and keeping an open invitation for the team,” said Darcie Patock, Lily’s mother. “Sometimes it’s eight, sometimes it’s 12, but we get to hear what’s going on and see their camaraderie off the sand, too.”
The move has been a dream come true for Patock, and a little extra motivation.
“I’ve always said home is where my family is, so I was super excited when they decided they wanted to move,” Patock said. “I’m really taking advantage of being this close while they’re here. I also feel a little extra support. No matter what happens, they’re always going to be in my corner, and I’m super grateful for that.”
That support showed early in the team’s first home match of her senior season, when Patock went 2-0 at the No. 5 spot, helping Boise State to multiple sweeps.
Both Wolthuis and Patock will graduate in May, with one final home match remaining.
Senior day.
With a senior class of eight, six of whom have spent their entire collegiate careers in Boise, the match is sure to be emotional for both players and their families.
“It’s a full-circle moment. All of these girls have worked so hard and have grown each season. They’ve met some pretty awesome goals, and it’s going to be a little bit sad because it’s over. But they’ve made lifelong friends out of this team, so I don’t see those going away.”Darcie Patock, Lily's mom
Each has left their mark on the program. Wolthuis ranks third all-time with 75 career wins, while Patock ranks eighth with 66.
The No. 19 Broncos now have their sights set on another NCAA tournament appearance and a Big 12 title.
“I know a lot of people don’t think we can, but we’re ready to shock the world,” Wolthuis said.
And once their playing careers come to a close, the impact of their time, and their families’, may extend beyond the court.
“There have been a few parents that have said, ‘Maybe we should start thinking about moving,’” Tess Wolthuis said. “I always say, ‘Ok, I’ll help.’”
