It’s a common childhood dream to be the first person from your hometown to achieve something outstanding, whatever that may be.
For Ana Tevdoradze, that childhood aspiration became her reality.
Tevdoradze, a senior pin hitter for LSU volleyball, made history as the first athlete from the country of Georgia to play Division I volleyball in the United States.
Her journey throughout her collegiate career hasn’t been a straightforward one, yet she’s remained hardworking and resilient to represent her country.
Tevdoradze grew up in Tbilisi, Georgia, finding her passion for volleyball at 12 years old. She played with multiple Georgian national teams when she turned 15, up until the end of her high school years.
Once Tevdoradze graduated, she moved to Florida with her parents after the COVID-19 pandemic in hopes of playing volleyball at a higher level. She had a few Division I offers prior to her move, but ultimately ended up at Miami Dade College to start her career.
MDC volleyball, coached by Origenes “Kiko” Benoit, is a program Tevdoradze continues to express her gratitude for.
Under Kiko’s leadership, Tevdoradze and the team were runner-ups for the NJCAA Championship. She was named an All-American during her second and final year, as well as an All-Academic athlete.
After two years of playing for the Sharks, she received offers from a few schools to play at the Division I level. One of those offers was from none other than LSU.
Tevdoradze committed to the Tigers in 2023 with much excitement for the journey ahead. LSU as a school is amazing by itself, she said, but her decision was made because of other reasons.
“I chose LSU because of the team culture they had [and] the coaches — amazing coaches,” Tevdoradze said. “That’s how I am right here today.”
As is the case for many international students, there was an adjustment period. The culture of the state alone was something Tevdoradze had never experienced before, which she thought was really cool.
In terms of volleyball, the rules of NCAA volleyball differ from international, and it took her a while to fully grasp that.
“It was difficult because even volleyball rules here are a little different than ours over there,” Tevdoradze said. “For example, liberos serving. We don’t have that.”
The most prominent obstacle in Tevdoradze’s transition to playing volleyball in the U.S. was the language barrier, as English is her second language. Four years ago, she couldn’t even speak English, she said.
“Understanding volleyball in a different language was difficult,” Tevdoradze said. “Whenever coach gives us a combination or some drill to do, it’s in English.”
With time, Tevdoradze has been able to overcome these challenges, along with the other mental and physical needs necessary to play volleyball at such a high level. From community service to marketing events in efforts to promote match attendance, it’s been a huge time commitment that she wasn’t used to back home.
“D1 is not easy,” Tevdoradze said. “It requires really good time management. You have to be on top of academics, volleyball, do extra reps, eat and sleep well. It’s a job, literally.”
Tevdoradze said that homesickness is something a lot of international athletes struggle with. Her teammates, coaches and staff understood that from the jump and constantly check in to see how she’s doing.
Despite all of the initial struggles Tevdoradze was met with in her transition to playing college volleyball, the positive outcomes outweigh all of the bad from her point of view.
The family-like team culture surrounding her at LSU has made her adjustment easier over the last two years. Not only do Tevdoradze’s teammates comfort her when she’s feeling homesick, they also continuously celebrate and praise her achievements, knowing that this opportunity means something special to her.
“Since I was the first Georgian athlete at LSU, they put the flag of Georgia at the Cox Center and that was the biggest thing they have done for me,” Tevdoradze said. “I, of course, shared those posts all over my social media, and other people from Georgia were like, ‘You’re so cool.’”
Tevdoradze is proud to have the opportunity to represent her country on such a big stage internationally. The community she has back in Georgia has heard her story over and over, and she’s inspired many athletes to achieve their dreams.
“I’m trying my best to show my country that there is an opportunity to get a degree while playing the highest level of volleyball in the USA,” Tevdoradze said. “If you really want to go D1, you have to work hard, be a good player and stay open minded. You have to let the coaches know that I’m here and I’m open to improve and learn your way of volleyball and teaching.”
Once her senior season concludes, she intends to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration. The goal is to play professional volleyball overseas following her time in Louisiana, and she wants to highlight the next results of her accomplishment, rather than just the process it took her to get here.
“Georgia is a tiny community,” Tevdoradze said. “There’s not even four million people over there. The meaning of my impact, it’s really big, and I have big plans for [Georgia] volleyball. We’ll see how it goes.”
