News Archives: Lana Matthews - Featured Athlete of the Week
Tuesday, February 25th, 2020
Name: Lana Matthews
Jersey Number. Is there a story behind it? #14. For every season except two I have worn number 4 and when there was no other number left but 14, I figured I got lucky with it still having my number in it.
Hometown: Sturgeon County
High School: Morinville Community High School
At what age did you start playing your sport? What drew you to the game? I was 10 when I started out. I was pushed to the game because my father was a paralympic athlete and world champion in volleyball. Since I was young, I wanted to follow in his footsteps and achieve greatness like he did; that's why number 4 is such a big part of my career. It was the number my dad wore, my brother wore, and I wore and will continue to wear whenever I get the chance.
What is your fondest memory of your sport? Making the Alberta Winter Games team in U15.
Any pre or post-game rituals that you would be willing to share? How do you prepare? Listening to ‘done’ by The Band Perry and ‘remember the name’ by Fort Minor.
I wash my shoes in the sink with a toothbrush and soap, I tape 8 of my fingers, and I matched my scrunchie to our jersey colour of that night.
What are your future goals? I want to play a few years in USport then travel overseas and play there for as long as I can. After my playing career runs out, I will be helping run pursuit volley and get to coach the next generation of kids.
From Head Coach, Lauren Hale-Miller:
What does this player bring to the dynamics of the team? Lana brings a competitive edge to our program. She is constantly battling it out on the court and leaving it all out on the line. If you ever have to opportunity to watch Lana play, you will see she plays with pure passion and love for the game, which inspires everyone around her.