January 2019 (1) Candygrams

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Sunday, January 6, 2019---Women of Troy Volleyball Awards Brunch

When Trojan Candy arrived for the Women of Troy Volleyball Awards Brunch, the Galen Center Founder's Room was already buzzing with activity. The entire Women of Troy Volleyball Team was standing together near the entrance.

Khalia LanierI saw Junior Khalia Lanier and asked if I could take her picture and interview her. Khalia smiled for my picture. She is majoring in Human Biology. Khalia's hobby is watching movies. Her favorite movies are Psychological thrillers and dramas. She likes the Life of Pi the most. Khalia's favorite food is her mom's steak. Her favorite music is R&B and Rap. I asked her if she likes to dance, and Khalia told me that she doesn't dance that well. But she sure plays volleyball well! Lastly, I asked if she had a "fun fact" about herself. A teammate told Trojan Candy that Khalia's dad Bob Lanier is a better cook than Khalia. That comment put another smile on Khalia's face! FIGHT ON, Khalia!

Trojan Candy took pictures of the four senior jerseys.

Brittany Welsh jersey
They were for #12 Brittany Welsh,
Reni Meyer-Whalley jersey
#14 Reni Meyer-Whalley,
Madison Murtagh jersey
#2 Madison Murtagh,
Victoria Garrick jersey
and #4 Victoria Garrick.
Trophies
These are the Award trophies.
Brent Crouch
Head Coach Brent Crouch came by to say, "Hello."

Trojan Candy finally sat down at her table. Sitting there were three teammates. They were Raquel Lazaro, Brooklyn Schirmer and Ashley Humphreys. Naturally, I intended to interview each one of them.

Raquel LazaroRaquel Lazaro was sitting next to me, so Trojan Candy interviewed her first. Raquel is a Freshman and is undecided in her major. She is from Malaga, Spain. Raquel began playing volleyball when she was eleven years old. More personally, Raquel's favorite food is her mom's macaroni. She likes Latin music and the musical style Reggaeton. No wonder that Raquel told me that she likes to dance! FIGHT ON, Raquel!

Brooklyn SchirmerTrojan Candy interviewed freshman Brooklyn Schirmer next. She is from Long Beach and is majoring in Real Estate. Her hobbies are dancing and Polynesian dancing. Brooklyn's favorite food is ribs. She likes R&B music the most. When I asked her why she chose USC, Brooklyn said that "USC was always my dream school." Brooklyn told me that four other members of her family are also Trojans. Her Uncle Titus Tuiasosopo was a football guard at USC. Brooklyn's brother Bernard Schirmer a tackle and her cousin Vavae Malepeai a tailback, are current football players at USC. Her cousin Blake Sabol is a current baseball player at USC. What an athletic family...and they're all Trojans! FIGHT ON, Brooklyn!

Aumai and Brooklyn Schirmer
Trojan Candy took a picture of Brooklyn with her mother Aumai.
Ashley Humphreys
The third freshman at my table was Ashley Humphreys. Ashley started playing volleyball when she was in the 7th grade.
Raquel Lazaro and Ashley Humphreys
Ashley's favorite food is sushi, and she dines all the time with her suite mate Raquel Lazaro. Her hobby is to hang out with friends and family and to go to the beach. Ashley likes all kinds of music but likes pop music the best. FIGHT ON, Ashley!
Brad, Ashley and Wendy Humphreys
Ashley's parents Brad and Wendy are both Stanford grads, as well as Ashley's older sister who played volleyball at Stanford.
Team
Now, it was time for the program to start. Master of Ceremonies Leland Waters introduced the team.
Madison Murtagh
The Awards were presented, then it was time for the four Seniors to bid farewell. The first senior was #2 Madison Murtagh (1/8/2017). FIGHT ON, Madison!
Brittany Welsh
The second senior to speak was #12 Brittany Welsh. FIGHT ON, Brittany!
Reni Meyer-Whalley
The third senior to talk was #14 Reni Meyer-Whalley (1/7/2018). FIGHT ON, Reni!
Victoria  Garrick
The fourth senior was #4 Victoria Garrick. FIGHT ON, Victoria!
2018 season
Here is the video of the 2018 season and a tribute to the seniors.
Brittany Welsh, Ashley Humphreys and Cindy Marina
After the program ended, Trojan Candy walked around the Founders Room to take more personal pictures. I saw Brittany Welsh, Ashley Humphreys and Cindy Marina first.
Khalia Lanier, Brittany Welsh and Madison Murtagh
Khalia Lanier, Brittany Welsh and Madison Murtagh posed together.
Emily Baptista, Raegan LeGrand and Jasmine Gross
Nearby were Emily Baptista, Raegan LeGrand and Jasmine Gross.
Victoria Garrick, Emily Baptista, Jasmine Gross, Brooklyn Schirmer, Raquel Lazaro, Madison Murtagh, Brittany Welsh, Brooke Botkin, Ashley Humphreys, Jenna Adams, Cindy Marina, Raegan LeGrand, Reni Meyer-Whalley, Khalia Lanier, and ?
The entire team posed for this picture.
Reni Meyer-Whalley, Victoria Garrick, Emily Baptista, Khalia Lanier, Jasmine Gross, Brooke Botkin, and Raquel Lazaro
Some of the Award Winners posed on the stage for Trojan Candy.

The winners were Reni Meyer-Whalley, Spirit of Troy; Victoria Garrick, Best Passer/Digger; Emily Baptista, Best Attacker; Khalia Lanier, Best Server; Jasmine Gross, Best Blocker; Brooke Botkin, MVP Award; and Raquel Lazaro, Best Setter and Freshman of the Year.

Victoria Garrick and Brent Crouch
Victoria Garrick posed with Head Coach Brent Crouch.
Lainie and Victoria Garrick
Then Victoria posed with her mom Lainie.
Reagan LeGrand, Reni Meyer-Whalley, Cindy Marina, Victoria Garrick, Emily Baptista, Khalia Lanier, Brittany Welsh, Jasmine Gross, Brooke Botkin, Raquel Lazaro, Ashley Humphreys, Jenna Adams, Brooklyn Schirmer, Madison Murtagh and Brent Crouch
Trojan Candy took another team picture with Coach Brent Crouch.

In the front row are Reagan LeGrand, Reni Meyer-Whalley and Cindy Marina. Back row: Victoria Garrick, Emily Baptista, Khalia Lanier, Brittany Welsh, Jasmine Gross, Brooke Botkin, Raquel Lazaro, Ashley Humphreys, Jenna Adams, Brooklyn Schirmer, Madison Murtagh and Coach Brent Crouch.

Victoria Garrick, Madison Murtagh, Reni Meyer-Whalley and Brittany Welsh
Here are the four Seniors with their jerseys. They are Victoria Garrick, Madison Murtagh, Reni Meyer-Whalley and Brittany Welsh.
Madison and Mackenzie Murtagh
Madison Murtagh and her sister Mackenzie, who played volleyball at the University of San Francisco, posed together.
William, Jonathan, and Victoria Garrick; Max Browne; and George and Lainie Garrick
I was able to take a picture of Victoria Garrick's family next. From left to right were her brothers William and Jonathan Garrick, Victoria, Max Browne (9/21/2016), and George and Lainie Garrick.
Becca, Brittany, Mary and Doug Welsh
Here is Brittany Welsh's family. Sister Becca, Brittany, Mary and Doug Welsh.
Adam Levin; Kristin, Reni, and Stevie Meyer-Whalley; Melanie Meyer; and Tom Whalley
Trojan Candy took a picture of Reni Meyer-Whalley's family next. Uncle Adam Levin; Kristin, Reni, and Stevie Meyer-Whalley; her mother Melanie Meyer; and her father Tom Whalley.
Mel Hughes, Donna Heinel, and Doris Hughes
Three good friends were talking with one another. They were Mel Hughes, Senior Associate Athletic Director Donna Heinel, and Doris Hughes.
Cindy Marina, Brooke Botkin and Audrey Humphreys
Cindy Marina, Brooke Botkin and Audrey Humphreys smiled for this picture.
Brooke Botkin and Katie Fuller
Next Brooke spoke with my friend Katie Fuller. Katie is a Women of Troy Volleyball and Beach Volleyball alumna and is now the Director of Operations.

Brooke BotkinLuckily, after Trojan Candy took the picture of Brooke and Katie, I was able to interview Brooke. Brooke Botkin is majoring in Communication. She played soccer first and then started playing volleyball in the eighth grade. Her favorite food is Italian, especially ravioli. Brooke likes pop music and her favorite artist is Travis Scott. Her favorite movie is "Blades of Glory." Brooke said if given the opportunity that she would "live" in the water. She loves to kneeboard, water ski and weight board. What an athlete in and out of the water! FIGHT ON, Brooke!

Madison, Tim, Maggie and MacKenzie MurtaghFinally, Trojan Candy was able to take a picture of Madison Murtagh's family. Here are Madison, Tim, Maggie and MacKenzie Murtagh. I got all four senior families!

Becci Twombley, Leland Waters and Becky GramstrupMy final picture was of friends USC Sports Dietitian Becci Twombley, Leland Waters and Becky Gramstrup.

With that, Trojan Candy said "Good night!"