Papillion-LaVista South’s LeGrand Fulfills Dream With USC Commitment

OMAHA – In the dreams of Raegan LeGrand, the 1,544 miles from Papillion-LaVista South High School to the University of Southern California campus is probably paved with yellow bricks.

The reality for the Titan junior, however, is that her journey to becoming a member of the USC volleyball team was paved with countless hours of hard work, many days spent outside her comfort zone and a burning desire to fulfill her dream.

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It all became a reality on Sunday, when LeGrand gave her verbal commitment to play for the Trojans.

“If anyone has ever deserved it, it's Raegan,” Ryan Gray, who coached LeGrand this past club season on the Nebraska Juniors 161 team, said.

The 5-foot-10 libero had several offers from some of the most prestigious volleyball schools in the nation. In the end, however, she said she simply couldn't pass on her dream of playing college volleyball in California.

“I've still got to work my butt off,” LeGrand said. “I'm just going to work so hard (the next two years), so that by the end of my first practice (at USC) there won't be a doubt in anyone's mind that they should have brought me to USC.”

It's that kind of attitude and LeGrand's fierce court presence that sucked the USC coaching staff in once they started following her. Gray, who has coached LeGrand four of the last five club seasons at Nebraska Juniors, calls LeGrand a “program changer,” because of her on-court skill and her leadership abilities.

“She's got the floor-captain vocal thing down,” Gray said. “And, she gets a thrill out of digging tough balls. She has a passion for the defensive side of the ball.”

As in any sport, effort is one of the biggest factors in playing defense, and LeGrand said she understands that, ultimately, her passion and relentlessness are the things she is most capable of bringing on a consistent basis.

“No matter how my platform is or how I'm hitting, that is the one thing I can control,” she said.

LeGrand started for the 2012 state championship Papillion-LaVista South team as a freshman, where she was sandwiched in the back row between current Huskers Amber and Kadie Rolfzen. LeGrand said she still considers that one of the biggest thrills of her life.

As a sophomore at Papillion-LaVista South last season, she also showed that she is a devastating attacker as a full-rotation player. She finished the year with 354 kills and 310 digs and earned First Team Class A from Nebraska Prep Volleyball.

Her route to big-time volleyball, however, actually started when she was just 12. That's when her mother, former Bellevue West coach Alyssa LeGrand, took her to tryout for the Nebraska Juniors 15s team – without telling anyone just how young Raegan was.

She wound up making the top 15s team, and while it was a season of ups and downs, LeGrand was a starter by the end of the year. Raegan said the influence of her parents – including father Nate – started very young and helped her to be prepared to meet challenges head-on.

“It all started with my mom and dad,” LeGrand said. “They would have me go to practices when I was I really young and they taught me how to love the sport.”

The family influence also extended to her cousins Gabi and Tatum Ailes. Gabby played at Stanford and Tatum at Missouri. Watching Gabi play in California and play for a pair of national championships, LeGrand said, is what sparked the fire in her to someday play in California.

Earlier this year LeGrand made a trip to California for USAV High Performance Sand Tryouts and made a handful of unofficial visits to major schools at that time. During those visits, she connected best with the USC coaching staff, she said.

“When we got on campus, they welcomed us with open arms even though they didn't really know us,” she said. “And, right from the beginning, they didn't promise me anything.”

USC later came and watched LeGrand compete at the AAU National Championships in Orlando and then continued to monitor her and eventually offered her the scholarship yesterday.

LeGrand credited her parents and the slew of coaches she has had over the years, especially Gray, Gwen Egbert and Elena Pietro for her development. Egbert was her initial coach at Papillion-LaVista South and also works with all the Nebraska Juniors players, while Pietro came in this season for the Titans.

“I think Ryan (Gray) has helped me an incredible amount,” LeGrand said. “It's gotten to the point where he is like a big brother to me. He's so honest. He can tell me anything, and I know that he has my best interest at heart.

“I've always loved (blunt and honest feedback) from a coach. I think if a coach isn't honest, then they don't want to win. I want a coach that will tell me what I need to hear and tell me how to fix what I need to fix.”