high school basketball because of my
parents.”
After high school, she could have
gone to college just about anywhere
in the United States or Canada but
chose USC because it “had the right
mix of high academic and volleyball
performance. I felt comfortable with
the coaches and the campus almost
immediately after my visit.”
However, even though she was in
Tinseltown with the world at her feet,
it wasn’t an easy transition.
“Honestly, I have no complaints –
it’s been a great experience (at USC),”
she said. “At first it was difficult being
in a different country, away from
home, my family and friends. But in
the end, USC has been the perfect
environment for me to grow both as a
person and as an athlete.
“Getting to where I am now as
a player was probably the hardest
thing that I have ever done. It took
countless of hours of practice, film,
and extra work to get to this point
and I know that I still have room for
improvement.
Alicia is in the Policy, Planning and
Development Faculty at USC and is
studying Real Estate Development.
She’d like to become a commercial or
residential property developer.
However, before that, she has a few
more goals on the volleyball court.
“Ultimately, I want to be able to
represent Canada at the Olympics,”
she said. “For now, I am focused on
earning another defensive player of
the week, a spot on the All-Pac-12
team and maybe an All-American. But
we will see how the year goes.”
Regardless of how the season plays
out, this lover of the singer Drake, the
band The Weekend and Shonda Rimes
TV dramas (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal
and How to Get Away with Murder),
will enjoy every minute of her time in
Los Angeles.
“I love Los Angeles,” she said. “USC’s
campus is pretty close to downtown
LA, where LA Live and the Staples
Center are. Another aspect of LA that
might be taken for granted is the food.
It’s amazing here. One of my favorites
things to do is go to new restaurants
and food trucks and try something
new. I especially like that fact that the
beach is never more than 20 minutes
away.”
In the meantime, Alicia will always
have the support of her biggest fans –
mom, dad and he basketball-playing
brother Michael.
“My family has been instrumental
to my success” she said. “They were
Michael and Alicia
the driving force behind my athletic
development. My dad taught me
how to compete with passion while
my mom instilled the importance
of mental toughness. Without their
support, I don’t know where I would
be.”
Where she is these days, is in the
heat of the NCAA volleyball spotlight.
And she’s loving every minute of it. l
sportslife / 17