The Home Court Advantage
September 10, 2014 | Volleyball
Sept. 10, 2014
When senior outside hitter Inutiraha "Tirah" Le'au stepped on the court last month in San Francisco, it was not just an ordinary match. For the first time in her collegiate career she was back playing in her home state of California. Not only that, but this was also the first time her father had seen her play live at the collegiate level.
Confined to a wheel chair, her father has been unable to travel to see her play.
"Even though he can't physically be here, he's supporting on TV, watching online, or game tracker," Le'au said.
She also commented that it was nice to have him finally experience it live.
Her father, Filimaua, was the one who helped her start her career from the beginning. He did everything in his power to enable her to be where she is today. He was the one who put her in sports initially. So when Tirah saw him sitting in the stands, she was full of emotion. She was ecstatic that he was finally able to see her play again but sad because it had been so long since he had seen her play. Of course there were nerves. And after all this time she wanted to do nothing less than show him that all of their hard work had paid off.
Nerves aside, her father being there in person, in her words, pumped her up. She wanted to make him proud by showcasing her improved abilities. Her father said that he has been proud of her and all she has done since she was 12. He notes that she has definitely stepped up her game since playing collegiately. Tirah has always been strong offensively but has since improved her skills on defense.
Tirah's family made an impact at this match. She had over 80 members come out to support her, surprising coaches from the opposing team who were surprised that the visiting team had more fans than they did. Tirah was grateful to have the love and support of her family there. But it is her father whom she has the special bond with. The two of them have always had a very close relationship. Filimaua refers to her as his "little shadow" and she is without a doubt a "daddy's girl." He is grateful that the two of them are still this close after all this time.
"She was always a daddy's girl you know? She always stuck to me... She always want[ed] to go with her Dad," Filimaua said.
Seeing her father finally be able to come to a match was an emotional time for the both of them. Her father cannot thank volleyball, Georgia, and the coaches enough for giving his daughter this chance. The one thing that will make him most proud is when Tirah has that degree in her hand. Athletics has enabled her to have this opportunity.
Coming off of two double-doubles in six matches, the rest of the season looks bright for this Bulldog. She believes that the team got their "jitters out" last week and are excited to be at home this Friday and Saturday. Although, they know that since they did so well they are walking in with targets on their backs. UNC Asheville, Harvard, and NC State are going to come out hard this weekend. Luckily, Tirah knows that even with such a young team they have great chemistry and have really come together. Georgia will face UNC Asheville this Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on Harvard and NC State on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.
With such an impressive start to the season it will be hard for the Bulldogs to come down off of this high. Especially Tirah. Playing on her home soil, having her father see her play and come out as impressively as she did is nothing short of a remarkable way to start a senior season.
Ashleigh Shay is a sophomore from Wall, N.J., who is intending to major in public relations and also pursue a sports media certificate from UGA's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is in her first year as a student assistant with the UGA Sports Communications office.
"Coming Attractions" is a weekly feature published on georgiadogs.com spotlighting a UGA student-athlete who will be competing in a key home event during the upcoming weekend. Previous stories include:
August 28 - David Andrews (football vs. Clemson)
September 4 - Carly Hamilton (cross country in Bulldog Invitational)
By Ashleigh Shay
When senior outside hitter Inutiraha "Tirah" Le'au stepped on the court last month in San Francisco, it was not just an ordinary match. For the first time in her collegiate career she was back playing in her home state of California. Not only that, but this was also the first time her father had seen her play live at the collegiate level.
Confined to a wheel chair, her father has been unable to travel to see her play.
"Even though he can't physically be here, he's supporting on TV, watching online, or game tracker," Le'au said.
She also commented that it was nice to have him finally experience it live.
Her father, Filimaua, was the one who helped her start her career from the beginning. He did everything in his power to enable her to be where she is today. He was the one who put her in sports initially. So when Tirah saw him sitting in the stands, she was full of emotion. She was ecstatic that he was finally able to see her play again but sad because it had been so long since he had seen her play. Of course there were nerves. And after all this time she wanted to do nothing less than show him that all of their hard work had paid off.
Nerves aside, her father being there in person, in her words, pumped her up. She wanted to make him proud by showcasing her improved abilities. Her father said that he has been proud of her and all she has done since she was 12. He notes that she has definitely stepped up her game since playing collegiately. Tirah has always been strong offensively but has since improved her skills on defense.
Tirah's family made an impact at this match. She had over 80 members come out to support her, surprising coaches from the opposing team who were surprised that the visiting team had more fans than they did. Tirah was grateful to have the love and support of her family there. But it is her father whom she has the special bond with. The two of them have always had a very close relationship. Filimaua refers to her as his "little shadow" and she is without a doubt a "daddy's girl." He is grateful that the two of them are still this close after all this time.
"She was always a daddy's girl you know? She always stuck to me... She always want[ed] to go with her Dad," Filimaua said.
Seeing her father finally be able to come to a match was an emotional time for the both of them. Her father cannot thank volleyball, Georgia, and the coaches enough for giving his daughter this chance. The one thing that will make him most proud is when Tirah has that degree in her hand. Athletics has enabled her to have this opportunity.
Coming off of two double-doubles in six matches, the rest of the season looks bright for this Bulldog. She believes that the team got their "jitters out" last week and are excited to be at home this Friday and Saturday. Although, they know that since they did so well they are walking in with targets on their backs. UNC Asheville, Harvard, and NC State are going to come out hard this weekend. Luckily, Tirah knows that even with such a young team they have great chemistry and have really come together. Georgia will face UNC Asheville this Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on Harvard and NC State on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.
With such an impressive start to the season it will be hard for the Bulldogs to come down off of this high. Especially Tirah. Playing on her home soil, having her father see her play and come out as impressively as she did is nothing short of a remarkable way to start a senior season.
Ashleigh Shay is a sophomore from Wall, N.J., who is intending to major in public relations and also pursue a sports media certificate from UGA's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is in her first year as a student assistant with the UGA Sports Communications office.
"Coming Attractions" is a weekly feature published on georgiadogs.com spotlighting a UGA student-athlete who will be competing in a key home event during the upcoming weekend. Previous stories include:
August 28 - David Andrews (football vs. Clemson)
September 4 - Carly Hamilton (cross country in Bulldog Invitational)
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