Waterloo’s Lauryn Hovey making her mark on the volleyball court

By Josh BrownRecord Reporter

Fri., Sept. 17, 2021timer2 min. read

As a kid, Lauryn Hovey hated volleyball.

Her mom, Ann, and aunt, Corinne Williams, both coached the sport and encouraged her to get on the court to give it a try.

“I thought it was super boring and I never wanted to play it again,” said Hovey.

But when she was around eight years old, her friend went to a volleyball camp with the K-W Predators, and Hovey tagged along, as friends often do.

That’s when things clicked.

“I just loved it so much and that’s kind of how I started,” said the 18-year-old.

Now, Hovey is one of 18 top prospects attending Volleyball Canada’s National Excellence Program (NEP) in Richmond, B.C.

The four-month program gives athletes a chance to train full-time, live with billets and go to school while receiving top instruction from national coaches.

Hovey has also cracked Canada’s Under-18 women’s team, which leaves Friday to compete in the U18 world volleyball championships in Durango, Mexico.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “For me it’s just an opportunity to play internationally, travel, improve and get a gist of what teams all around the world play like.”

Hovey tried out for the NEP program when it launched last year but didn’t make it. Undeterred, the right-side hitter/setter, and lifelong K-W Predators player, returned this year and made the cut.

She arrived in Richmond, B.C. earlier this month, where she lives with a billet family and practises five days a week. She also hits the gym, attends specialized classes on training, nutrition and mental preparation, among other things, and studies remotely at Waterloo Collegiate Institute.

“It is really busy,” said the six-footer. “You just have to get down to it and work.”

And that has never been a problem for Hovey, who has risen through the ranks with the K-W Predators for the past decade or so while also playing on regional and provincial squads.

“She’s an extraordinarily gifted volleyball player,” said Predators U18 coach Lisa Watson. “She’s a hard worker, humble, determined, all of it. She’s the package. She has a crazy high ceiling and she continues to grow.”

A dozen girls in the NEP program were picked to make Canada’s U18 entry for the worlds. For Hovey, who has verbally committed to Ohio’s Bowling Green University next year, it’s a big deal and a step in the right direction for her volleyball career.

“It’s lots of hard work and it’s starting to pay off but there is still so much more that has to be done,” she said. “I would really love to represent Canada and play on the national women’s team and play in the Olympics one day.”

Josh Brown is a Waterloo Region-based reporter focusing on sports for The Record. Reach him via email: jbrown@therecord.com