By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
When 6-foot-3-inch junior middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe walks into a room, the first thing that stands out isn’t her height. It’s her smile.
“She’s great,” sophomore setter Averi Carlson said. “I feel like she’s grown so much since we started our season, so that’s been super exciting to see. And then she’s just a fun person to hang around. She’s so funny, her smile is just so cute.”
Freshman outside hitter Kyndal Stowers said she couldn’t agree more.
“She’s a hoot,” Stowers said. “[I] love playing with her, love being with her off the court too. It’s really cool just to hang out with her. … She definitely just brings joy. Whether she means to or doesn’t, she always finds a way to lighten up the room that she’s in.”
Bibinbe, who’s in her first year with Baylor volleyball, began playing the sport in Cameroon to honor her older sister — a star player in her own right whose career was cut short by injuries. She said her sister was a big inspiration.
“She’s the first one who started playing volleyball … back home, but she had an issue with her knees. She has an injury and cannot recover from it,” Bibinbe said. “Then, since I have heard stories about her being such a great player and person back home, then I decided to play volleyball so I can make her proud so I can go wherever she was not able to.”
Bibinbe said those early days were mostly playing for fun. Volleyball was primarily a hobby — a fun pastime for meeting new people and “getting to reach goals for my big sister.” Before long, Bibinbe started to get good. Really good.
“Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to come to the States,” Bibinbe said. “It was such a dream for me to be able to pursue my academic and volleyball career here in the States.”
Connections matter, and Bibinbe was able to leverage her relationship with a former junior college athlete into an opportunity to play in the United States. She started out at Missouri State University-West Plains, which allowed her to practice speaking English. Then she caught the eye of Baylor head volleyball coach Ryan McGuyre at a youth volleyball camp. McGuyre was blown away.
“The best leaders are incredible servants,” McGuyre said of Bibinbe. “What caught my eye was watching her coach 10-year-old girls. It was just so quick. There’s this strong, athletic, beautiful woman that [in] just such a joyful, tender way she loved helping these young girls play volleyball.”
One of McGuyre’s former players who is Cameroonian was able to put them in contact, and McGuyre immediately began running Bibinbe through drills.
“I put her drills and different things, and obviously, she looked phenomenal against like 12- and 14-year-olds,” McGuyre said. “So we [had to] get her in the gym and watch more film on her. But that’s what caught my eye was really her heart and her joy — and then she jumped high and hit hard. … A lot of people jump high, hit hard, but she does it really well, kind of effortlessly. But [she’s] a great culture fit because of her joy, her servant-heartedness and the athleticism.”
For Bibinbe, joy isn’t a passive reality. It’s a goal she pursues daily in light of her
Christian faith.
“[My joy comes] from the Lord,” Bibinbe said, laughing. “The joy I have is the one he gifted me with. So I don’t think it’s me doing anything. I think it is God, Jesus Christ shining through me. … That’s where that joy comes from.”
Before each game, Bibinbe prays the same prayer during the national anthem: “Lord, let the people around see you in me.” As she prays, she said God gives her joy.
For both Bibinbe and McGuyre, faith is at the forefront — a connection that has made her transition to Baylor much easier.
“I will say it is just a blessing,” Bibinbe said. “I don’t think in every program you will have a coach who will text you in the morning, ‘Hey, how are you?’ Who will send you a blessing. Who will ask you, ‘How’s your day going?’
“That was not the idea I had of Coach Mac when I first came here, and now I think I can talk to him about anything — not only as my coach, but also as a father. And I think he’s such a great leader, great servant, and he makes my job easier. So when I talk about Jesus and have someone who talks about Jesus as well, it makes life easier.”
Bibinbe has shined in her first season with the Bears, ranking third on the team in kills and block assists as of Oct. 20. Though she said she’d love to play professionally, she’s trusting in God’s plan.
“Right now, I’m taking one day at a time,” Bibinbe said. “I want to go wherever God leads me. … One of my dreams would be probably to continue to play professional volleyball. I have a pretty [good] idea where I want to be, but I don’t know what God has in store. So we’re going to let him lead in that way.”
