Playing in her final college volleyball match to becoming a professional volleyball player 48 hours later in
December of 2023. Hannah Pukis, a Tacoma native and Bellarmine Prep alum, was selected third overall, and
first by the Vegas Thrill, in the inaugural Professional Volleyball Federation draft.

“I could never have imagined any of this,” Pukis said in a story from KTVZ in Bend, Oregon, after the draft.
Pukis showed her outstanding volleyball ability from the get-go at Bellarmine Prep. As a setter/right side hitter
for Lions coach Caroline Meines, Pukis was a four-time 4A All-South Puget Sound League first-team nominee,
league MVP in 2016, a two-time All-State player 2015-16, and an all-area second team in 2015 and first-team
in 2016-17.

The Lions’ penultimate success came in 2014 when Bellarmine Prep won the 4A state championship. The Lions
finished sixth in 2015 and third in 2016. Pukis didn’t just find success on the court in high school.
As a member of the Kent Juniors Volleyball Club, U13-U18, Pukis was selected to the Emerald City Classic
U16 All-Tournament team which went on to play in the Patriot Division of the USAV National Championships.
Pukis also played beach volleyball where she also found success as a member of the 2014 Doubles and Quad
U14 Seaside Beach Championship teams. Her 2015 U18 and 2016 U16 Doubles teams were also runners-up at
Seaside.

Pukis, who graduated in 2018, signed to play at Washington State University where she started as a redshirt
freshman before transferring to the University of Oregon for the start of the 2022 season. Pukis left WSU as one
of, if not the best, setter in Cougars’ history.

While at Washington State, Pukis was named a two-time AVCA Pacific North All-Region setter, and a two-
time All-Pac-12 first-team selection while helping the Cougars to three NCAA tournament appearances. She
ranked sixth on the Cougars’ all-time assists list with 2,876 and finished her career there with 741 digs and 266
kills. She led the Cougars to a record of 23-9 and 12-8 in the Pac-12 as a freshman, including wins against the
University of Washington which was ranked among the top 16 teams in the nation at the time.

Pukis entered the transfer portal in 2021 and joined the Ducks the following season. It was at Oregon where
Pukis blossomed even more. She helped the Ducks reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament, was a two-
time All-American, a Pacific North All-Region selection, All-Pac-12 team and had a career high of 11.18 assists
per set, second in the Pac-12 and 10 th in the NCAA.

“Through the sports in this community, I have been shaped to be the athlete and person I am today,” Pukis said.
“I truly feel indebted to the youth sports programs in Tacoma. Without the incredible experiences I had as a
child, I could never have found my passion.”

 

Annette Griffus is a contributing writer for the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Museum and former sports
reporter for the Kitsap Sun for 17 years. Griffus’ nearly 30-year award-winning career included working at
the Spokesman-Review in Spokane and contributing to the Tacoma News Tribune, The Vancouver
Columbian, KING-TV, Peninsula Gateway, The Olympian and her own online website, West Sound
SportsPlus.