Lauren Mata '21 Recruiting Profile

I am a starting Setter/Lib on Markham Revolution Fusion 16u VC team in Markham, Ontario. I am very passionate about volleyball and have a strong desire to improve and develop my volleyball skills to achieve my goal to play volleyball at a high-level College in the USA with rigorous academics. My commitment to my team, my coach, and my club is unrivaled as I am always the first one to enter the gym and the last to leave. I believe I’m a good fit for the Setting/Lib position because I enjoy the challenges that come with it such as making the best and quick decisions that will benefit the team. Moreover, my team can count on me for reliable sets due to my technically sound hand on ball contact and decisiveness. I am a dynamic player who contributes to blocking and reading the ball and hands-on defense while anticipating hitting or tipping of the opponents.

As a natural leader – captain of my club team as well as my Bayview Bengals team at school – I take on many responsibilities such as supporting my team. I have an energetic and optimistic spirit when it comes to cheering and supporting my teammates both on and off the court. I have learned through training and experience that you should never give up and that mental toughness and court smarts are equally as important as the physical aspects of the game. Whenever the team is down or someone makes a mistake, I make sure to use words of encouragement while focusing on what we need to do to get through the next point. I focus on having a positive attitude when mistakes are made on the court, whether I make the mistake or my teammate does. One of my best character traits is that after I make a mistake during a game, I crave for the next ball to come to me to show what I can do. That being said, I am also very driven and hardworking, as I constantly give it 100% and always aim to improve myself and strive to become a better version of myself every practice. Whenever I can, I constantly try to get extra touches as I always come an hour earlier to the gym or stay after. In the off indoor season, I am very determined at home as I do jump training to improve my vertical, strength and conditioning training and on my overall skill development with specific training sessions including indoor camps and playing 9man volleyball (Asian league).

Last season, my 16U team was ranked 9th going into our Provincial Championships and the year prior we entered the ECC “Beast of the East” tournament finishing 3rd overall. I was selected and chosen by my team to receive the "Award of Excellence" at my 14U Provincial Championship Tournament; this award represents the dedication to the sport of volleyball, team spirit, leadership, and on-court performance.

In school, I am an academically strong and a well-rounded student enrolled in IB (International Baccalaureate) at Bayview. While doing IB I can maintain my honors role average scoring a 3.69 GPA as a freshman in High School. Athletically, I am involved in multiple sports teams, such as the senior girl's volleyball team, Co-ed volleyball team, assistant coach of the junior girl's volleyball team, Field hockey team, and Flag-football team. I was captain for most of these sports and received an MVP tournament medal for senior girls volleyball only being a junior. I love learning new sports and being able to be coached by many coaches to improve myself.

During my free time, I like to bake and go to the beach. I also love to spend time with my friends and family because they are the ones who motivate me to be the best I can be. My absolute favorite thing to do is to go traveling with my family and friends as I love to venture to new places and bask in the sun as Canada is often very cold.