Poulter was born in Naperville, Illinois[2] and grew up in Aurora, Colorado, attending Eaglecrest High School.[3] She was the overall No. 3 nationally (and top setter) ranked recruit coming out of high school and won several state and national awards, including the Andi Collins award for the best setter in the country.[3] She totaled 2,529 assists, 716 kills, 664 digs, 385 blocks and 208 aces over 101 high school matches.[3]
Career
University of Illinois
Poulter was recruited by several top college volleyball teams, with her final two choices being UCLA and Illinois, ultimately committing to Illinois between her freshman and sophomore years in high school.[4] She was a two-time All-American and was named the Big Ten Setter of the Year during her senior season, and led Illinois to a Final Four appearance.[3]
Professional and US National Team
Poulter began training with the senior US National Team in the summer of 2018, while she was still in college. She was part of the team that won a gold medal in the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League tournament, as well as the 2019 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup. In May 2021, she was named to the 18-player roster for the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League.[5] Poulter started the majority of the matches, and USA won the gold medal for the third straight year after defeating Brazil. She was named "Best Setter" at the conclusion of the tournament.[6]
On June 7, 2021, US National Team head coach Karch Kiraly announced Poulter would be part of the 12-player Olympic roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[7] After starting all matches, Poulter suffered an ankle injury during the final pool play match against Italy.[8] The injury forced her to miss the quarterfinals versus Dominican Republic; however, USA was able to win the match after fellow setter Micha Hancock came in as a substitute. Poulter successfully returned to lead her team to victories in the semifinals and eventually led Team USA to their first-ever gold medal in women's indoor competition. For her efforts, she was named as the "Best Setter" of the Olympics.[9]
Poulter is a founding athlete for League One Volleyball (LOVB), a new professional league in the US. She will play for the league's Salt Lake City team in its inaugural season.[12]
In May 2022, Poulter revealed her gold medal from the 2020 Summer Olympics was stolen out of her vehicle in Anaheim, California. The thief was arrested in early June, and the medal was recovered on June 27, 2022 after the owners of an Anaheim barbershop discovered it on their property and contacted the Anaheim Police Department.[13][14][15]