By: Marie Jen Galilo, Sports and Science Editor
Lyla McKay is a Cree and Blackfoot middle volleyball player on the SFU Women’s Volleyball team. Before locking in on volleyball, McKay was also in basketball and cheerleading. Prior to joining SFU, she played for the Walnut Grove Gators and Team BC. She also played for RainCity Volleyball Club, and was given the title of National Most Valuable Player in 2025. She is in her second year of kinesiology and education at SFU, and hopes to eventually become a physical education teacher to foster safe and supportive spaces for women pursuing sports.
Editor’s note: This piece has been edited for concision.
Q: How and when did you first get into volleyball?
A: “I was always a little uncoordinated giraffe. Long limbs and didn’t know what to do with them, but my mom always knew I was going to play ‘tall people sports’ — she was a basketball player, so she’s always been my inspiration athletically. I just have always loved that culture of volleyball where everyone’s so cheerful and connected and happy — I’ve always just resonated so deeply with that.”
Q: Do you have any pre-game or post-game rituals?
A: “Whenever I would walk onto the court, I would twirl my libero. I call my mom and dad — that’s really important to me too. I like to reset, talk to my mom, and my dad just grounds me all the time.”
Q: What is the most memorable moment for you so far as a player on the SFU’s Women’s Volleyball team?
A: “The moment that we realized we were gonna win the four-way tie for first in [the Great Northwest Athletic Conference] was a very exciting moment. But to be honest, my favourite moments are always just the little ones in between. I love being in practice and something silly will happen.”
Q: What do you think is the most underrated thing about volleyball?
A: “The teamwork and connection that everyone has. Because you have to be connected, you really have to be one, and I think that that’s where that happiness and unitedness really comes in. I love that we have all these silly cheers to do. Let’s say my teammate Meg, she scores, we go, ‘All aboard the Megatron, choo-choo!’”
