Mary Lake has accomplished a great deal during her volleyball career. She has become an All-American, played for the U.S. National Team and received three WCC Player of the Week nominations. Most recently, on Nov. 7, she surpassed the previous BYU women’s volleyball digs record of 1,793 career digs. Lake reached 1,794 in the match.
The BYU women’s volleyball libero attributes her success to the little things that have “snowballed” over time. She said every touch, every point and every match counts. For Lake, those touches, points and matches have added up to 1,815 digs as of Nov. 12.
“I’m really proud of Mary for all the hard work over the last four years,” coach Heather Olmstead said. “I’m obviously ecstatic that she was able to break the all-time dig record, and I think it goes to show how much heart and soul she’s put into this program. I mean, that’s a lot of digs — a lot of scrapes and bruises and a lot of energy going into those digs.”
Lake also credits her teammates and coaches in becoming the new BYU women’s volleyball all-time career dig leader. She said her teammates’ effective serving and blocking made it possible for her to get so many digs, while direction from her coaches taught her to read the game so she could be in the right place at the right time.
The Cougars were traveling for two away games when Lake hit a season-high 21 digs that put her one point in the lead of the previous all-time career dig record, 1,793, held by Ciara Parker, who played for BYU from 2012-15. The team took the opportunity to celebrate Lake and her hard work.
“It was fun to be on the road together and be able to celebrate that with her and for her,” Olmstead said. “I think you could tell from that video, her humility and knowing that she’s so grateful for the opportunity. She loves her teammates, so I think it was cool that they got to celebrate together.”
Each game Lake plays will only put her further in the lead and make her record tricker to beat. She sits fourth in total digs during the rally-scoring era in WCC history. Lake’s impact on the team will last for years through her records and by affecting the younger players on and off the court.
Lake and her team have four games left in their regular season. The Cougars will face San Diego for the second time this year on Friday, Nov. 15, in a match that is likely to determine who wins the WCC Championship title.