Northwestern University Athletics
Well-traveled Wildcat Sofia Lavin hopes journey ends in NCAA tournament
11/5/2015 2:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
By Austin Siegel
Nobody on Northwestern's volleyball team has taken a longer road to Evanston than Sofia Lavin.
But you could say that's in her DNA.
"We've just been kind of going back and forth between Spain and California pretty much my whole childhood," Lavin said. "It was like living a double life."
Lavin's journey to Northwestern began during those years split between her home in Orange County and Spain, the native country of both her parents. It took a detour at the University of San Diego, where Lavin helped lead the Toreros to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. And it looks set to wrap up in Evanston, where Lavin hopes to be a part of NU's first tournament team since 2010.
"I went to the tournament my freshman and my sophomore year," she said. "I want this group of girls to get that experience because it's really unlike anything."
Lavin arrived in Evanston over the summer, transferring from San Diego after the conclusion of her sophomore year. The decision to play volleyball thousands of miles away from home was fueled by the knowledge that she, in her own words, "hadn't really grown up yet."
Refusing to look anywhere in California, Lavin searched for schools where she could play volleyball and attend classes a world away from her life on the West Coast.
It was a decision her parents were all too familiar with.
They left Spain before Lavin was born so that her father could pursue a business degree in the United States. Hailing from the gorgeous Basque Country of Northern Spain, the Lavins settled in the Los Angeles area, where Sofia and her sister were born.
"Spanish only at home," she said. "We'd get grounded if we didn't speak Spanish all the time. That's been very useful, [but] when I was younger I didn't think that was so special. Now it's more apparent how unique my lifestyle was."
While she's the only fluent Spanish-speaker on the team, Lavin said she loves to practice with her Northwestern teammates who are studying the language in school.
"Kayla Morin is actually doing really well," Lavin said. "She has a little bit of an American accent, but she maintains a conversation really well. The other girls try so hard, but Kayla's the closest."
Growing up in the volleyball mecca of Southern California, Lavin honed her skills playing against some of the best competition in the country. She could often be found at the beach, where she developed as a shot-oriented player and a force at outside hitter.
Beach volleyball emphasizes placement over power, since there are only two players on each side. The game originated in California and introduced a number of shots that Lavin brought with her to Evanston.
One such example is a roll shot, in which the attacking player fools defenders into committing to a block, before lofting the shot over their heads and dropping the ball in between the other players.
Lavin said her different style of volleyball raised a few eyebrows at Northwestern's first practice of the summer.
"The first couple days of open gym with the team, they were just like 'Whoa, I've never seen someone turn at that angle,' and things like that," she said. "I kind of try and think two plays in advance and I try and place the ball more than slam the ball."
Even as she got to know her new teammates, it didn't take Lavin much time to become one of Northwestern's most potent attacking threats.
In her first match as a Wildcat, Lavin notched 11 kills, three digs and a block in a win over Wake Forest. She's currently third on the team in kills and has led the team in that category in wins over Furman, Maryland and Iowa.
So far, so good," she said. "We have our one goal this season which is to make it to the tournament. So we have our eyes on that prize. We just want to make sure that we play our best and we know that our best will win games."
Northwestern got one of their biggest wins in school history just a few weeks ago, as they knocked off No. 3 Penn State, a team that the Wildcats hadn't beaten in over a decade. With the 'Cats hanging on to a slim 14-12 lead in the fifth set, sophomore Taylor Tashima set up Lavin for the game-winning kill.
In typical dramatic fashion, she collapsed to her knees as the rest of her teammates rushed the court. By Sofia Lavin standards, it was actually a fairly reserved celebration.
"We replay our celebrations in the locker room so many times. Carks [Niedospial] just gets so excited she doesn't know what to do with herself. So she'll just take a lap around the court," Lavin said. "It's like, where are you going Carks? We all have our own thing."
Lavin said her biggest worry about coming to Northwestern was that her new teammates wouldn't embrace her outgoing personality. But every time Lavin celebrates after the Wildcats score a point, it becomes clear that isn't going to be a problem.
"I was always scared that I wasn't going to get along with the girls, because I have a very strong personality. Unless you know where I'm coming from, I can seem crazy," Lavin said. "The girls were really receptive and thought it was great. We clicked instantly."
Nobody on Northwestern's volleyball team has taken a longer road to Evanston than Sofia Lavin.
But you could say that's in her DNA.
"We've just been kind of going back and forth between Spain and California pretty much my whole childhood," Lavin said. "It was like living a double life."
Lavin's journey to Northwestern began during those years split between her home in Orange County and Spain, the native country of both her parents. It took a detour at the University of San Diego, where Lavin helped lead the Toreros to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. And it looks set to wrap up in Evanston, where Lavin hopes to be a part of NU's first tournament team since 2010.
"I went to the tournament my freshman and my sophomore year," she said. "I want this group of girls to get that experience because it's really unlike anything."
Lavin arrived in Evanston over the summer, transferring from San Diego after the conclusion of her sophomore year. The decision to play volleyball thousands of miles away from home was fueled by the knowledge that she, in her own words, "hadn't really grown up yet."
Refusing to look anywhere in California, Lavin searched for schools where she could play volleyball and attend classes a world away from her life on the West Coast.
It was a decision her parents were all too familiar with.
They left Spain before Lavin was born so that her father could pursue a business degree in the United States. Hailing from the gorgeous Basque Country of Northern Spain, the Lavins settled in the Los Angeles area, where Sofia and her sister were born.
"Spanish only at home," she said. "We'd get grounded if we didn't speak Spanish all the time. That's been very useful, [but] when I was younger I didn't think that was so special. Now it's more apparent how unique my lifestyle was."
While she's the only fluent Spanish-speaker on the team, Lavin said she loves to practice with her Northwestern teammates who are studying the language in school.
"Kayla Morin is actually doing really well," Lavin said. "She has a little bit of an American accent, but she maintains a conversation really well. The other girls try so hard, but Kayla's the closest."
Growing up in the volleyball mecca of Southern California, Lavin honed her skills playing against some of the best competition in the country. She could often be found at the beach, where she developed as a shot-oriented player and a force at outside hitter.
Beach volleyball emphasizes placement over power, since there are only two players on each side. The game originated in California and introduced a number of shots that Lavin brought with her to Evanston.
One such example is a roll shot, in which the attacking player fools defenders into committing to a block, before lofting the shot over their heads and dropping the ball in between the other players.
Lavin said her different style of volleyball raised a few eyebrows at Northwestern's first practice of the summer.
"The first couple days of open gym with the team, they were just like 'Whoa, I've never seen someone turn at that angle,' and things like that," she said. "I kind of try and think two plays in advance and I try and place the ball more than slam the ball."
Even as she got to know her new teammates, it didn't take Lavin much time to become one of Northwestern's most potent attacking threats.
In her first match as a Wildcat, Lavin notched 11 kills, three digs and a block in a win over Wake Forest. She's currently third on the team in kills and has led the team in that category in wins over Furman, Maryland and Iowa.
So far, so good," she said. "We have our one goal this season which is to make it to the tournament. So we have our eyes on that prize. We just want to make sure that we play our best and we know that our best will win games."
Northwestern got one of their biggest wins in school history just a few weeks ago, as they knocked off No. 3 Penn State, a team that the Wildcats hadn't beaten in over a decade. With the 'Cats hanging on to a slim 14-12 lead in the fifth set, sophomore Taylor Tashima set up Lavin for the game-winning kill.
In typical dramatic fashion, she collapsed to her knees as the rest of her teammates rushed the court. By Sofia Lavin standards, it was actually a fairly reserved celebration.
"We replay our celebrations in the locker room so many times. Carks [Niedospial] just gets so excited she doesn't know what to do with herself. So she'll just take a lap around the court," Lavin said. "It's like, where are you going Carks? We all have our own thing."
Lavin said her biggest worry about coming to Northwestern was that her new teammates wouldn't embrace her outgoing personality. But every time Lavin celebrates after the Wildcats score a point, it becomes clear that isn't going to be a problem.
"I was always scared that I wasn't going to get along with the girls, because I have a very strong personality. Unless you know where I'm coming from, I can seem crazy," Lavin said. "The girls were really receptive and thought it was great. We clicked instantly."
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