Volleyball season may be over, but this girl’s passion for the game is year-round. In fact, in the last year, the most fun Livingston had was “playing volleyball with a group of girls I got to know better throughout the year. The beginning of the season was not the best, but as the season went on, there was lots of progress and connections built, and that made it worthwhile.”

Among those connections is the teammate who has impacted her the most, “Jakhia Jones.” Telling VYPE “because her main sport is not volleyball, but she came in and tried something new to stay active. She has grown so much as an athlete throughout the season, and this year, our setter got hurt at the beginning of the season, and we used Jakhia to help us out.”

“Jakhia was not always confident in her skills, but I knew what she could bring, so I tried to always reassure her and make sure she knew that I was seeing progress because she truly was making progress and fast. Jakhia always wanted to perfect things, so when she could, she and I would stay late after practice, and run combination plays to make sure our connection is strong. Jakhia brings such positive energy, and it is infectious. I love playing with her because she brings so much joy to the team, and she makes sure she brings 100% every day.”

Aside from all those late practices after school, Livingston says, “Up until this year, I have been playing club volleyball. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue playing because I had been having shoulder issues towards the beginning of the season, and it was really starting to affect my playing. Once volleyball was over, and I wasn’t playing club, I realized that volleyball was literally my whole life, and I was not ready to give it up, so I will be continuing playing during college.”

As a result, Livingston’s future plans include “graduating high school, going to college, entering a surgical tech program, and playing volleyball.