MALIBU, Calif. — The men’s volleyball team crushed the Harvard Crimson tonight, 3-1, in the Firestone Fieldhouse. Senior Maurice Torres dominated with 20 kills, 14 digs and he also nailed three consecutive serve aces in the first set. But tonight the game wasn’t in the spotlight.
The stands were more packed than usual, but the group of 447 students wasn’t as rowdy as it usually is. Another difference was that the majority of the students in the stands were athletes.
Earlier today, Athletic Chaplain Maurice Hilliard was found dead, and reflective of this, the atmosphere of the Firestone Fieldhouse was somber yet unified.
Prior to the start of the match, freshman Matt Tarantino shared fondly about Hilliard to the students and parents in the stands, and following him, senior Skye Barnett led everyone in prayer.
Promptly after the match ended, a formal prayer service was held in the Jones Trophy room. Athletes, non-athletes, parents, coaches, faculty, staff and alumni gathered together in the packed room to mourn the loss of “Coach Mo,” and to also celebrate his life.
Alum Greg Lee opened up the service with a few words and a prayer. Then, junior David Chang played worship songs, one of them being the classic, “Amazing Grace.” For the rest of the time, Lee opened up the floor to anyone who felt called to share.
Many stories were told about how Hilliard had impacted lives. The common thread amongst all the various recollections was that Hilliard had a giving heart and a true love for God.
The vast amount of people who shared demonstrated how much time Hilliard invested in forming connections with people. Nearly everyone mentioned how Hilliard made them feel special, and how he often greeted people with a smile and a warm embrace.
One student told the room to, “treat everyone like a rock star,” because that’s how Hilliard treated him. Another gentleman challenged the room to try to “care about everyone but yourself” for a week, because “that’s what Maurice did everyday.”
The service lasted about an hour. It was full of tears, but at the same time a sense of comfort could be felt as people shared their stories and scripture was read.
As Lee perfectly put it: “God is smiling with Maurice right now.”
