Mary Massias brings confidence and joy to Lehigh volleyball

Pregame rituals and carefully planned out schedules don’t have a place in Mary Massias’ game day routine. 

The sophomore describes herself as “Type B.” She has no routine and doesn’t rely on a ritual to prepare herself to compete. 

For Massias, no routine is the routine. And it works. 

Despite Massias’ goofy and laid back personality off the court, she’s developed a confidence and focus that helped shape her volleyball career as an outside hitter for Lehigh. Along the way, she said her family and teammates have provided a supportive environment that have helped navigate the pressures of playing Division I volleyball. 

Massias started her Lehigh women’s volleyball career strong and as a first-year she started all 26 matches. She appeared in and finished third on the team with 210 kills, averaging 2.36 per set. 

She has continued that momentum into her sophomore season, recently earning MVP honors at the Steel Classic on Aug 28-29. 

She said she’s focused on improving her eye work this season and translating the team’s scouting reports into her performance on the court. She said her mindset has also played a factor in how she separates herself from other outside hitters. 

“I don’t think being cocky as an athlete is bad,” Massias said. “Obviously there’s a borderline, but I think you need to have a level of cockiness and to believe you’re the best and nobody’s going to beat you.”

Shawn McLaughlin, volleyball head coach, said Massias has taken on a larger role this year and is impacting the team at a high level. He said it’s hard to ignore the joy she brings and her competitive nature. 

“She’s a happy human being,” McLaughlin said. “She’s just super fun and bubbly and creates a lot of really good energy around her, whether that’s on the court or off the court.” 

He also said she brings a positive energy every day to practice and is always excited to be there, which is exciting to see in a young athlete.

“She’s hungry to be great, but she also loves where she is every single moment,” he said. 

Massias grew up with an athletic family. Her father, David Massias, played football at the University of Miami and her siblings played football and soccer growing up. 

She said her father has always been her best friend and even coached her flag football team when she was a kid. 

Massias said she can count on her father during high pressure situations because his experience playing at the Division I level allows him to understand the pressures of being a college athlete. 

“He’s always told me, never be afraid of pressure coming in,” Massias said. 

That advice stayed with Massias as she faced the decision of where to play college volleyball. 

She almost chose to stay close to home. 

The Gainesville, Florida, native was nearing a commitment to the University of Tampa for volleyball, when a visit to Lehigh changed her mind. 

She said the previous coach, Alexa Keckler reached out to her and she had no idea what Lehigh was. She said she had nothing to lose and decided to give Lehigh a chance. 

“I immediately fell in love,” Massias said. “I remember my recruiting process, it was annoying. I hated the emails, I hated all this stuff, so when I took my visit, I literally fell in love. I didn’t know I’d be so sure about a school.”

Although Massias fell in love with Lehigh,  she said the girls on the team were what made the school feel like the right fit. 

“I think it’s honestly so rare, especially in sports to have 18 of us — all friends and fully connected,” Massias said. “I don’t think we’ve had drama ever.”

She traded sunshine and the proximity of her family, for something she always wanted to experience: volleyball, and of course seasons. 

For Massias, the transition to Pennsylvania was an adjustment, as her favorite place is the beach, she said. 

Between growing up in Florida and traveling to Jamaica to visit family, where both of her parents are from, Massias said she became accustomed to warm weather year-round. 

She said the friendships she’s made at Lehigh have made the distance from home worth it. 

Outside of volleyball, Massias is a product design major, which can make balancing schoolwork and the team’s traveling schedule difficult at times. She said she’s spent bus rides cutting out pieces of paper for her class because much of her work can’t be done on a computer.

Chloe Fisher, ‘29, said Massias works hard but also likes to keep the energy light. She said Massias plays her best when she’s having fun and believes the team does too. 

Fisher said the team uses the DISC personality framework to better understand each other’s personalities. The team refers to Massias as the “Big I,” meaning she’s a big inspiration. 

“Mary is exactly the person you want to be in your ear to motivate you and keep you going,” Fisher said. 

Fisher emphasized how well Massias handles pressure and everybody on the team looks up to her and will look to her for advice on how she handles it. 

She said she’s a role model for the younger girls on the team. 

“She’ll cheer for you the loudest when you’re doing well, but she’ll also pull you up when you’re struggling,” Fisher said. 

Fisher said Massias’ personality also comes with a clumsy streak. During a recent trip to Waffle House, Massias accidentally broke a pepper shaker, and within minutes spilled Fisher’s iced tea all over her. 

“She had nothing else to say other than ‘I’m so sorry,’” Fisher said. “It was just hilarious because she did all of that in the span of like two minutes.” 

Despite her goofy personality off the court, Massias has established goals for herself and her teammates this season. 

She said she hopes to become an All-Patriot League player and help Lehigh win a conference championship. 

“For me, I just want her to continue being here and continue to enjoy competing,” McLaughlin said.