HILO — Justice Lord had a good feeling about his second season with the Barton College volleyball team, which fills the Cinderella role at the NCAA Championship.
HILO — Justice Lord had a good feeling about his second season with the Barton College volleyball team, which fills the Cinderella role at the NCAA Championship.
The 2015 Hilo graduate remembered the heartbreak but hopeful optimism of last year when the Bulldogs lost to senior-loaded Erskine (S.C.) in the Conference Carolinas tournament final.
A year later with the Flying Fleet in rebuilding mode, Barton defeated them in the conference quarterfinals and Mount Olive (N.C.) in the championship to earn its first NCAA tournament berth in the program’s six-year history.
Barton (23-5) plays BYU (24-4) in the first round on Tuesday at the St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. In the other match, Hawaii (26-5) takes on Penn St. (21-10).
Lord, a 6-foot-7 sophomore middle blocker, leads Barton with 78 blocks (.91 per set), holds a .424 hitting clip and has produced 178.5 points (kills, blocks, aces), good for fourth on the team.
Last season as a freshman, Lord played in only 17 matches and knocked down 34 kills. He worked hard during the offseason to earn a starting spot. As a sophomore, he has slammed 121 kills, so far.
“This coming season we only had to worry about beating a couple of other top teams,” said Lord, an all-conference third team pick. “I guess you could say we excepted to do well, but you should always expect good competition.
“I’m very excited about the NCAA tournament. I know it’s very competitive. I’m hoping for the best.”
The Bulldogs are second in the nation with an average of 1.87 aces per set. Lord has dealt 13 aces, sixth on the team.
Hawaii served bullets to beat BYU in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation semifinals. That’s the same strategy Barton will employ.
“That will give us a good chance to put up a good fight,” said Lord, an exercise science major, who wants to become a physical therapist.
The Bulldogs are diverse as far as hometown designations, fielding players from Serbia, Puerto Rico, Italy, Greece, Florida, Texas, and one from Hilo.
Barton, located in Wilson, N.C., reminds Lord of his old high school. The college has just under 1,200 students.
“It’s about the same size as Hilo High and the class room sizes,” Lord said. “It’s very hands on. I get along with the professors and classmates. It’s easy to make friends here.”
Well, make school history, cheers all around and everybody knows your name. It also helps that Lord is taller than the majority of people on campus and quite personable.
“I definitely feel a lot more popular,” he said. “It’s funny. People know who I am now, compared to last year.”
Lord is in rare company. Not many BIIF standouts play in an NCAA championship, let alone men’s volleyball. Reed Sunahara, a 1981 Hilo graduate, was the last, winning three titles at UCLA.
Barton swept Mount Olive for the conference title and NCAA berth on April 22 on its home court at Wilson Gymnasium.
“The feeling was unexplainable,” Lord said. “It was really cool and really fun. After we beat Mount Olive, it was ‘Wow, this is it. It’s happening.’ Dreams do come true.
“To know that I’m on the Barton team that won the first conference championship is pretty cool. Going to the NCAA tournament adds even more on top of that. It’s awesome.”
Lord played four years for Guy Enriques’ Southside Volleyball Club team and appreciated all the experience.
When he reflects on his journey to the top of the NCAA volleyball landscape, Lord’s heart starts to beat louder and his aloha spirit grows.
That’s because he’s thinking about the biggest influence in his life, his mom Andrea Lord, a Keaukaha Elementary teacher.
“She’s the strongest person I know,” he said. “She raised three boys on her own, put herself through school, got her master’s degree and bought a house. She’s my idol. I hope to be as good as her.”
To any BIIF athlete or anyone at a young age, wondering what path to take, Lord offered simple advice.
“Dream big, work hard and don’t give up because anything can happen,” he said.
Andrea Lord can go to bed with a good feeling: her son is an inspirational role model, just like his mom.