As a student ambassador at Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Newfield, Ava Keyser enjoys talking about her passions and recruiting others to take part.
It’s no small coincidence that her school’s volleyball team is enjoying a bump in participation. The Villagers’ program fields three levels of teams and has enthusiastic groups of players of all ages. Some of that success can be credited to Keyser, who is now in her senior year and a key player for the Villagers.
“I just loved the energy of volleyball,” Keyser said. “And everyone was so nice to me and I also loved how fast the sport was. It’s very, very quick.”
A few years ago, Keyser was heading in a different direction as she danced competitively. Jazz and hip-hop were among her normal routines, but as she approached high school, Keyser wanted something different.
“My eighth grade year, I was dancing but wanted to try something new,” Keyser said. “I went to OLMA’s summer volleyball program, and I fell in love with it and have been playing ever since.”
And the Villagers are glad she did.
Keyser has become one of the leaders on the court, despite not being a captain. As one of four seniors on the team, she is relied upon heavily by coach Kate Patterson.
“She’s very special to me,” Patterson said. “She has this energy and this attitude and doesn’t allow anyone to ever affect it. She’s not an official captain but the way she acts on the court is so admirable. She didn’t need that title to do that. This was her last year and she wanted to make the most of it. And every day she has.”
Dance does still manage to creep into practices and matches as Keyser leads the charge. What fun would volleyball be without a celebratory dance step or two after a big point?
“I still love to dance,” Keyser said. “(My teammates) kind of feed off of me. I have a few celebrations that I like to do and I got them on board with it. Now the JV is starting to do them, so it’s really fun.”
That’s not the only mark Keyser will leave on the program. She’s helped engineer the Villagers’ first winning season since 2015 as the team was 9-4 through April 18. OLMA also won its first playoff match since 2012 as it defeated Timothy Christian in a three-set thriller in the quarterfinal round of the South Non-Public B playoffs and Keyser contributed a season-high six kills in that contest.
All of this was icing on the cake as it was never certain there would actually be a volleyball season this year after the fall sport was postponed until early spring.
“It did make me nervous at the beginning because I didn’t know if we’d have a season,” Keyser said. “But I appreciate all the things our athletic director and principal did just to give us a season even though it is shortened. I’m so happy to be able to play in the playoffs. It’s been amazing to be able to travel to other schools and play.”
Keyser is undecided where she will attend college next year but hopes to be able to play club volleyball or perhaps on a Division 3 team while she pursues a career as a pediatric physical therapist. It’s no surprise she wants to continue helping others.
“I love helping out kids,” Keyser said. “It’s the same way I try to help my teammates. I love being around them. With dancing and volleyball, I’ve experienced many injuries so it’s nice to see how the physical trainers work.”
Keyser’s work isn’t finished yet as she continues to wear the ambassador’s hat and recruit others to play volleyball. This year, she was able to convince younger sister Carly, who is now on the freshman team. Her eighth-grade sister, Lara, who is also very big into dancing, is next.
“I encourage people to play volleyball,” Keyser said with a smile. “I got my sister (Carly) but it was actually a big sell to get her to play. She’s not really big into sports but I told her to try it out. It’s so easy to adapt to. And since I drive her home, I stay around and practice with the JV team and the freshmen a little bit too. It’s nice to get their energy up and make them feel confident.”
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