Faces off the field: Hays' Lusia Langi on her past, family, future — and Barbie
All about Lusia: On Tonga, her future, and Barbie
Tell us something about you that most people don't know.
One thing that stands out about me is my big curly hair. But what most people don’t know is that my hair hasn’t always been that curly. I’d always had straight, wavy hair my whole life, but in eighth grade I cut my hair and it’s been curly since then. I love my curls because they help me to feel more connected to my Tongan culture.
If you could visit any country, where would you go?
I would visit Tonga, because it’s where my family is from and I would love the chance to go back to my roots and see where my family came from.
What's your all-time favorite movie?
It would have to be "Barbie." I loved the humor, dance numbers and the message of female empowerment behind it all. I painted my parking spot a Barbie theme and my senior overalls this year are Barbie themed as well.
What do you consider to be the world's greatest invention?
The iPad. My younger brother has autism as well as speech apraxia and a rare genetic disorder known as KAT6A (syndrome), and because of this he cannot speak. His speech app on his iPad allows him to communicate his needs, and his personal iPad allows him to have an anchor point in loud, crowded settings so he can cope with his environment, which would be too overwhelming without his iPad.
What do you plan to do after high school?
Last October, I committed to play D-I volleyball at Utah Tech University in St. George. I plan on majoring in sports management and I would love to either coach collegiate volleyball or work in recruiting for a college football program.
More: First week of high school football reveals new stars
On that volleyball life: Torch was passed
How did you get started playing competitive volleyball?
I started playing club volleyball my freshman year of high school. I was encouraged to by Ashley Davis, who was my head coach at the time at Hays. She was the one who first told me I could play at the college level, but in order to do so I’d have to get a ton of reps, which could be best achieved through club volleyball.
What has been your favorite volleyball memory at Hays?
It would have to be when I broke the school record for most blocks in a single season, with 148 blocks my junior year. This moment was extra special for me because the record had been previously set by Trista Strasser, who was a senior when I was a freshman as well as my mentor. She had personally challenged me to break her record earlier that year.
Do you have any game day rituals?
Before games, I like to pray and I also love to do a little jumping routine just to warm my legs up and increase my explosiveness during the game.
Dream dinner: Gotta get the grandpas
If you had to eat the same breakfast for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It would be the banana chocolate chip waffles that I make, with a side of bacon and fresh fruit. I just love waffles. They’re one of my favorite foods whether I’m eating them for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
If you could have dinner with four people in the history of the world, who would they be?
My grandpa Sekope, grandpa Garth, Taylor Swift and the late Queen Salote of Tonga.
Why did you pick your grandfathers?
I picked them because they both passed away when I was little, and I would love to sit down with them and get to know them better as well as tell them about my life.
— Rick Cantu
Faces off the field interviews
Other Central Texas volleyball players we've featured this season: Hyde Park OH TaNia Penn, Pflugerville MB Ava Roberts, Crockett LIB Mia Vidal
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Faces off the field: Meet Lusia Langi, senior middle blocker, Hays
