BOSSIER CITY, La. (AP) -
Not many volleyball players in the state of Louisiana have the talent and musical versatility of Airline’s Jaci Ervin.
The senior can play multiple positions on the court for coach Reggie Digilormo but usually serves as the team’s middle blocker. She’s also adapted to playing the back row when necessary and is a big reason for the success of the Lady Vikings over the past few seasons.
Off the court, Ervin can play six musical instruments including the flute, clarinet, trumpet, baritone, piano and viola. Her favorite is the latter.
“Because there are different ways you can play it,” Ervin said. “There could be a song with a very aggressive loud tone and there could be a song meant to be soft and calming. Having the ability to play both gave me an outlet to express different emotions through music.”
Born on Lakenheath Air Force Base in the UK, she and her family moved to Florida in 2006, then to Anchorage, Alaska, in 2012. That stop not only introduced the rising star to the sport of volleyball, it opened her eyes to a whole new world.
“Alaska was very beautiful and crisp. The sunlight during the summer would last for 23 hours so blackout curtains were needed to sleep,” Ervin said. “During the winter, the sun would be setting before I got off the bus after school. Snow would last the majority of the winter, but it easily gets dirty and tiring.”
Still, one of Ervin’s favorite activities was sledding or snow tubing.
“Despite the cold, Alaska was very enjoyable, and it was very easy to get acclimated to the weather,” she said.
Her first club volleyball team was the Inspire Volleyball team in Alaska, which instilled the fundamentals that helped her become a top player in northwest Louisiana. The Ervins moved to Bossier City in 2016 and her father retired from the Air Force in 2018 after 23 years of service. Anyone who has visited Alaska during July, then returned to the South, knows the temperature change can be daunting.
“At first the heat was a challenge for my family because we were so used to cool weather,” Ervin said. “After about a year, we were a little more used to the heat and humidity. Other than that, the transition was smooth and enjoyable. We are much closer to my family members, so we have been able to visit them more often.”
The Lady Vikings have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming season they hope starts as scheduled. Following the CDC guidelines has made things challenging but Ervin said things are going well.
“As hard as it is, we have been able to get in practice and conditioning time despite the distance we have to keep between my teammates,” she said. “It feels good to get my hands back on the ball and to hear the voices of my teammates once again in preparation for next season.”
She said the guidelines have hindered what her team would normally do, but being able to practice is “a blessing.”
“With the pandemic, I am thankful that the guidelines are in place to prevent my teammates from getting sick, but also allowing us to prepare for the new year,” she said.
Currently carrying a 4.12 weighted GPA with a 23 ACT, Ervin is hoping to play volleyball at the next level. But she plans on preparing to become a physician’s assistant regardless.
If there’s one celebrity she’d like to meet, it would be Kobe Bryant due to her father’s family being from the Los Angeles area.
“We have always been big Lakers fans, so I grew up watching his team play,” Ervin said. “I was always amazed at his ability to remain positive and have the mentality of a true athlete, which is a quality I strive to possess.”
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