They say every good thing comes to an end. Luckily, with the end of the season approaching, the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team will not stop experiencing this good thing. With her last season coming to a close, senior Lilla Frederick continues to put her whole heart into this good thing as well.
Before Pepperdine, Frederick graduated from Cornelia Connelly High School in Anaheim, Calif., in 2008. She played three years on the varsity team and was ranked the nation’s No. 41 recruit.
Four years later, this Orange County native is getting ready to graduate from Pepperdine and its volleyball program.
What started off as just accompanying her cousin to a club volleyball tryout to keep her company when she was 14, led to an tremendous amount of growth and skill in volleyball.
Although Frederick started off playing regular indoor volleyball, she has made a smooth transition to sand volleyball as well. Sand volleyball is different than regular volleyball because it requires a lot more leg strength. The sand slows down the players who are already having to move all around the court.
“It’s only two players,” states Frederick. “A lot more shots and more movement around the court. It’s a smaller game. I love that I get to play on the beach every day.”
Sand volleyball breaks the team into five pairs. In a game, the first pair of Waves play against the first pair of the opponents. After their match is over, both teams’ second pairs play each other. The game continues until all five pairs have played.
Frederick is paired with fellow senior Kim Hill. “She’s my best friend off the court,” Frederick states.
The majority of players in this newly introduced NCAA sport is made up of regular indoor volleyball players. Not only does the team have to grow accustomed to the change in environment, but it also has to allow a shift in the team dynamics.
“We are learning how to play with each other this year,” explains Frederick. “We’re finding out each other’s strengths and weaknesses and trying to help each other out.”
Frederick is an asset to her team and her teammates agree. “She brings four years of experience, which is cool,” shares Summer Ross. “She motivates us to be the best by putting in maximum effort all the time.”
This means a lot coming from the 2010 USA Volleyball Beach Female Athlete of the Year. Despite her title, Ross is still intimidated by Frederick’s talents. “I love to play with Lila, just not against her,” laughs Ross. “She burns opponents with her short shot and then with the hard spike.”
Frederick has won a few titles herself. She won a gold medal at the 2008 NORCECA Continental Championships in Mexico, played with the U.S. at the 2009 FIVB World Championships in Mexico, where she started two matches, and also played with the youth national team.
Frederick is leaving Pepperdine as the 16th Wave to reach 1,000 kills, the ninth player to reach 1,000 digs and the fourth to do so in both categories. She is ranked in Pepperdine records as 12th with 1,140 kills and seventh with 1,136 digs.
With stats like these, it would surprising if Frederick did not continue to pursue a career in volleyball. “I do think I will continue to play volleyball after school, I just don’t know if it will be indoor or beach volleyball,” said Frederick.
Despite the reference to the future, Frederick is still fully engrossed in her volleyball season right now. “I feel great about this season, I think that the team has learned a lot,” says Frederick. She is right.
The Waves finished their season with a perfect 14-0 record, beating Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State, USC and Hawaii.
Frederick and the rest of her team maintain positive attitudes for their next match big event, the AVCA National Championship. The event will take place April 27-29 in Gulf Shores, Ala.
Frederick’s last year may be coming to an end, but her inspiration for the game is not. “In the beginning my inspiration was just the thrill of a new sport but then when I got older, it just changed to just loving the sport.”
It does not look like that love will be ending any time soon.
