Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2020
She was dominant on the court and in the classroom, so it’s only fitting that Rachel Hassan Gravel becomes the first Troy volleyball player inducted into the Troy Athletics Hall of Fame.
“I had some incredible players in my 18 years at Troy, but Rachel was one of the best,” former Troy volleyball head coach Ginger Lowe said. “I recruited girls not for just how they played volleyball, but also for who they were as people, and Rachel was great both as a student and an athlete.”
In four seasons with Troy (2000-04), Hassan rewrote the record books on her way to becoming the most dominant offensive player in Troy’s history. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Hassan was a two-time All-Atlantic Sun First Team honoree and an A-Sun All-Freshman Team member. She is Troy’s all-time leader in kills (1,644), points per set (4.50) and kills per set (3.96) while ranking second in points (1865.5) and eighth in blocks (212).
As of 2021, Hassan’s name is still all over the record books. She ranks in the top 10 49 times across single-match, single-season and career records. She is one of only three players in program history with at least 1,000 career kills and digs and one of five with 1,000 kills and 200 blocks.
“Rachel was one of the most prolific hitters in the history of Troy volleyball,” Lowe said. “She was quick as a cat, ran a beautiful fly and every team we played had problems blocking her.”
Hassan’s 2002 season was memorable. The Trojan great recorded 616 kills, the single-season program record by 119 kills, while earning 675.5 points, which are the most in a season by 72-points. She was named an All-Atlantic Sun First Team performer for her outstanding season.
“A lot of our 2002 success was because of our hitter and setter combination,” Lowe said. “As Erika [Leitzke] and Rachel continued working together, they just became more-and-more in sync and inline. Rachel worked hard and decided that she was going to make a difference, and she did. She had a goal, and she was focused and between that desire and her connection with Erika she had an incredible season.”
What may be the most impressive attribute about Hassan was her ability to balance both volleyball and school at such a high level. Hassan graduated from Troy with a 3.85 GPA and was awarded the Algeron Sydney Sullivan Award, which is the highest academic honor a Troy student can earn. She was a member of the Verizon Academic All-District First Team and was named the 2003-04 Atlantic-Sun Student-Athlete of the Year while also being a member of Troy’s Campus Outreach program.
“I was someone who believed in the student part of student-athlete, and Rachel told me right off the bat on her recruiting weekend that she wanted to be a doctor,” Lowe said. “She would spend extra time in the classroom and labs that others didn’t because she was in the pre-med program. There was never a question on what she was going to do.”
Following her graduation from Troy, Hassan returned home to San Antonio, joined the Air Force and earned a medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
“Before becoming a doctor, she served her country in the Air Force, and I am so proud of her for that,” Lowe said. “As a coach, you know when you have certain players that are going to make a difference, and I’ve had a few of those types of players in my 18 years at Troy, but there was no question in my mind that Rachel was going to make a difference. She was driven, focused and knew when it was time to take care of business, and I am absolutely thrilled to death that she is being honored because she deserves it.”
