BATON ROUGE – With the help of Team Impact, LSU Beach Volleyball had a special signee, Olivia.
“Calling Baton Rouge” played throughout the stadium as Olivia signed and officially became a Tiger. Coach Cati Leak told her, “you have always been a Sandy Tig, but now it’s officially official.”
Team Impact pairs kids with serious illnesses with various collegiate teams across the country for a couple years. Olivia has been a fan of LSU since she was born, so when she had the opportunity to be a part of the team, she took it.
LSU Beach Volleyball players had nothing but wonderful things to say about Olivia’s positivity and the influence she has had on the team during all their games and practices. “Seeing how positive and uplifting she is, encourages us,” said team member Emma Johnson.
She was accompanied by her entire family, who were just as excited to share this moment with her. Olivia’s mom, Elizabeth, and sister, Aubrey, talked about how they hope the team is inspired by Olivia’s resilience, positivity, drive and perseverance. Elizabeth wants not only the team, but many others to know that “when life is at its lowest, never give up.”
When asked what she was looking most forward to, now that she was officially on the team, Oliva responded, “all the fun!” Her biggest piece of life advice is that “when life gets hard just keep going. Don’t think about the bad stuff, or what’s going to happen, just keep going and it will get better.”
LSU Beach Volleyball and the rest of the LSU community are so excited for the future with Olivia. And just like the singular quote received from Olivia’s dad, “Geaux Tigers!”