Lilly Peterson Elects Juco Route; Joining NJCAA Powerhouse Grand Rapids Community College Volleyball

Lilly Peterson, a senior at Moon Area High, was one of the WPIAL and state’s best players in the 2022 campaign. It’s only fitting that she continue on with her career, with her choice being junior college powerhouse Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan.

The process to do so was not an easy one, nor is it always the most fun and glamorous activity for each college athlete. With writing and operating a blog about college athletes, I’ve heard enough stories over the years to know it’s a lot of pressure to put on young people. Athletes are glorified in our society; there is no debate about that.

I felt compelled to interject and provide a smidge of opinion and provide another reminder that any athlete that’s been a part of Western PA Sports Blog in any way matters to me. They don’t matter as athletes as much as they matter as people. Athlete comes third to me behind human and student. Many of these folks who appear on the blog only have so much time to be a college, or in some cases, a professional athlete.

I don’t do what I do just as a popularity contest. I do it to showcase where people are off to, what they’re doing, and what success has resulted from their hard work. I also do it to help bring the positive vibes our world needs more of these days.

Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball Association.

Anyways, enough about why I do this. This tangent ties into the forward thinking decision Lilly Peterson is making by heading to junior college before possibly heading to a larger school some day in the future. First of all, Peterson acknowledges her love for volleyball exists, but this is just an aspect of her life and does not ever want it to be her entire existence.

“I never wanted volleyball to come to feel like it was a job, she noted. “I’ve always felt very strongly that volleyball had to stay as a hobby more than something I had to do. I don’t want volleyball to define who I am, but rather be something that I happen to do and that I’m good at. A four-year college was intimidating because the sport you play does become more of a job for athletes. I did look into and talk to many universities, but when Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) became an option and idea, it really caught my eye.”

The GRCC Raiders finished fifth in the nation in 2022 and are now at 12 consecutive seasons in a row in which the program was ranked in the Top 10 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) polls. The program will look for it’s second ever national title and thinks Peterson could be an important part of their next run for national gold.

While she’s ready to work hard, she’s also excited that she will continue to have balance in her life in this transition in her life. She plans to work, focus on her studies, improve her skills in volleyball, and enjoy her experience in a new state all at the same time. At the time of this piece, she plans to study business and one day open a restaurant of her own.

During her career to date, memories that stick out include having the chance to play with Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball at nationals and also an intense junior varsity game she played in against North Allegheny during her freshman year. “It was just the most fun I think I’ve ever had while playing volleyball,” she said.

Peterson leaves Moon as an All-WPIAL and All-State performer and is proud to have had the chance to represent the Lady Tigers program. “Moon Area volleyball means more than I could put into words. Especially this year. As a senior on the team, I had a big leadership role and I wanted to ensure that everyone else on the team had the same drive as I did. The team truly felt like a family and I would genuinely do anything for all those girls. Moon gave me a different kind of relationship with the girls; I was more of a big sister to many of the younger girls.”

Playing with Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball was also a rewarding experience over the years as the program brought out the best in her as a player and competitor. She also had the chance to make lifelong friends while enjoying the game she loves.

As a seventh grader, Lilly Peterson never expected this chapter of her life to happen. To her, the varsity players when she was in middle school felt like Olympians. It’s probably the same feeling some of the seventh graders get today from watching her. College volleyball was not always on her mind, but it can be a part of her life that guides her to new places and becoming a business owner some day in the future. Volleyball is what Lilly Peterson does, but it’s not all she is about.

Photo courtesy of Syd Simon (SGS Visuals)