Two years ago, she stepped away from the court with a heart heavy of doubt and uncertainty. Now, every practice and match illustrates a story of her faith.
Laurel Cassidy, a freshman libero for LSU volleyball, currently thrives under the purple and gold lights at the PMAC.
However, she never envisioned herself ending up with the Tigers or playing indoor volleyball at all after high school.
Prior to beginning her volleyball career, Cassidy was a competitive cheerleader growing up. She originally decided to give volleyball a try when she turned 9 because her sister played, she said.
Cassidy eventually fell in love with the sport. At a particular moment during her 12U nationals match, she noticed that she played more than usual and significantly better. When the match was over, Cassidy’s dad gave her words of encouragement that sparked a newfound passion for volleyball.
“I remember walking in the parking lot with my dad after and he was like, ‘You did good,’” Cassidy said. “It was definitely a realization where I thought, ‘I can keep doing this.’”
A Baton Rouge native, Cassidy attended Parkview Baptist High School and played both indoor and beach volleyball during her time there.
In a surprising move even to herself, Cassidy stepped away from indoor volleyball to pursue only beach volleyball. The aspect of only two people behind the net — and the sand in general — were factors that drew Cassidy in.
That sudden transition wasn’t an easy one for 16-year-old Cassidy in the moment, especially when it was time to pick a school to continue her collegiate career at.
“I stopped playing indoor for two years, between 16 to 18 years [old], which is the heaviest recruitment time,” Cassidy said. “I wasn’t thinking [about] indoor. I wasn’t even going to play high school volleyball at all my senior year, I just wanted to be done completely.”
Along with Cassidy only looking to be recruited for beach volleyball, she didn’t want to stay in her hometown either. Her list of potential schools to commit to were at least two or three hours from Baton Rouge, she said.
Despite all of these odds being against the Fighting Tigers, LSU had its sights on her.
Tigers’ head coach Tonya Johnson and associate head coach Jill Wilson reached out to Cassidy and offered her an opportunity to play for the team. This offer was extended even with the two coaches’ knowledge of her not playing indoor for two years, she said.
Cassidy had grown up always attending LSU games with her family and was very familiar with the school culture from a fan and Louisiana resident perspective.
When Cassidy finally toured the university as a potential incoming student, her whole vision for her future changed.
“I walked in and I couldn’t imagine myself not there,” Cassidy said. “When I went to other schools, I would just compare it back to LSU and I was like, ‘There’s nothing that’s going to top this.’”
For Cassidy, the outcome of her nerve-racking recruiting process all relied on her ability to trust in her faith. Faith has always been a huge part of Cassidy’s life, and this difficult time had her rely heavily on that faith to lead her to the right path.
“I went through a lot of prayer,” Cassidy said. “God led me here. It was not as stressful of a decision once I made that decision. Sometimes I’ll think about beach [volleyball] here and there, but I know this is where God has me and this is where I’m supposed to be.”
Almost at the end of her first collegiate regular season, Cassidy is grateful for the opportunity she’s been given to play for this program so far. She continuously expresses her gratitude for her teammates and coaches, as well as the culture they promote surrounding the team.
This chance to play for the Tigers has also meant something bigger to Cassidy: the chance to find her self-confidence.
In high school, Cassidy struggled with her mental health. She didn’t have the best experience and it was hard for her to find her people and her passion to keep pursuing volleyball.
“Mental health is something I struggle with still, and I’m open about it,” Cassidy said. “Balancing my anxiety and dealing with depression here and there, I’m not wanting to do stuff and being stressed about it because I’m not sure if I’m going to do well.”
Cassidy’s decision to return to indoor volleyball has been met with constant trials that she’s had to overcome. Stepping on campus for her first practice at LSU, she had no idea how the process was going to go.
“Sometimes, it’s a struggle. I stepped away for two and a half years [and] coming back to sport where everyone kept playing, it was a little stressful and I was definitely behind in some areas.”
Despite the “humbling” experience, she quickly learned how much fun she would have in her transition back to indoor. She’d almost forgotten how much she truly enjoyed playing, she said.
The passion that Cassidy once had for indoor volleyball has now been reignited, and belief in herself followed along with that.
“I know so much about myself as a person just from being here for a short amount of time,” Cassidy said. “I’ve learned my tendencies, I’ve learned emotional control, I’ve learned so many great skills — not just for volleyball, but in the outside world, that I know I would never be able to learn if I was anywhere else.”
What motivated Cassidy through the hardships in her return to indoor volleyball was knowing that she was performing for something bigger than herself. If she didn’t want to go to practice or lifts, Cassidy would remind herself that she wasn’t doing this for just her.
“God gave me these talents and if I’m not using them, I’m doing a disservice to him,” Cassidy said. “That’s why I believe that he sent me here — to be a light for other people and other little girls in Louisiana to look at what God has done in my life.”
Cassidy’s biggest takeaway from her freshman year has been the ability to truly find herself and her people through that faith that guided her and continues to guide her still. Once Cassidy figured out who she was called to be, everything else fell right into place.
“Coming here, I realized this is who I am, and I finally found my confidence in myself,” Cassidy said. “This is who Christ made me to be. I really have found my people and the people that make me a better person.”
