From 'B' team to D1 commit: the story of Lusia Langi

BUDA —When people look at today’s top tier athletes, a common misconception is that they've been playing since day one. Utah Tech commit Lusia Langi’s story is the furthest thing from this.

Langi is a senior volleyball player at Hays High School. She is currently regarded as one of the best players in her class and division, being at the top of multiple statistical categories in her division and region, according to MaxPreps.

In September, she broke the record for over 300 career blocks at Hays High School. Langi described this moment of breaking the record as her fondest memory of playing volleyball so far. What made it really special and memorable for her was the fact that she got to break a friend’s — who she considers a mentor — record.

When she was a freshman, senior Trista Strasser “took [her] under her wing and personally challenged [her],” according to Langi. She would always write letters to Langi before games, motivating her and giving her advice, pushing her to be great and break the records she held. And once Langi did that, “it was special to break someone’s record like [Strasser’s].”

Nevertheless, the accolades and success were a process. In the beginning of her volleyball career, Langi played on the “B” team in middle school, but she didn’t take the sport as seriously, with track and field being her main focus. She considers her freshman year as the true start of her volleyball career, as that’s when she began club volleyball and “started taking it seriously.”

Langi grew up in an athletic family, with her aunt and uncle both being involved in volleyball and her father working as a coach and scout in college football. However, her father didn’t want her to be an athlete originally and this caused her to try a lot of things before trying volleyball, which ultimately led to her late start.

Despite starting later than her peers, Langi put her head down and worked hard to get to where she is. She puts her all into volleyball, with most of her free time spent around the sport, constantly watching game film. However, whenever the tape isn’t being played, she’s either spending time with her little brother or watching TV to clear her mind a little.

Langi’s story of success against the odds of a late start is great, but what really makes it so inspirational is how she has remained a humble and compassionate person and player, despite the rapid success on and off the court on social media.

This is related to growing up with a brother with autism, according to her father Jake Langi. “Growing up with a brother with autism makes you more aware and empathetic,” he said. He described his proudest moment of watching her career unfold, which was nothing statistical, but rather seeing that she “trusted the process” and relied on herself to become who she is today as a player.

Langi created her own path and looks forward to playing Division 1 volleyball at Utah Tech after her 2024 graduation. What she hopes will be remembered about her is that through and through, she stayed humble and caring and seized all opportunities which allowed her to go from “B teamer,” to “leaving Hays High School as a legend.”