Volleyball (W) 7/20/2021 10:00:00 AM Emile Riga

Alicia Lam: Highs and lows

"They already have two great setters," Alicia Lam told herself coming into her rookie season in 2017-18. "I'll probably have to wait until my fourth year to start or something."

Describing her recruitment to the Rams women's volleyball program as a "very last minute" affair, Lam recalled not starting or even dressing for most games in the first half of her rookie campaign.

That all changed on November 25, 2017.

Trailing 1-0 against the Waterloo Warriors, Lam was subbed into the match in the second set and went on to tally 39 assists in a five-set road victory.

From that point on, Lam saw the start in every significant match for the Rams as an 18-year-old. She played a crucial role in bringing home an OUA Championship, Ryerson's first ever U SPORTS National Championship, and pulled off a perfect 19-0 season record.

"Looking back, it's honestly a shock but in a good way," she reflected. "It was definitely positive and that year was big for me as an athlete. I learned a lot."

On top of achieving unrivaled team success, Lam was named an OUA All-Rookie, led the league in assists per set, and cemented herself in the top 10 of the program's all-time assist tally in just two months of play.

Despite the individual feats, Lam is quick to credit her team and Rams athletics for the positive memories.

"It was a really nice family feel and everyone was so supportive of each other. I think that year really encapsulates being a Ram, and looking back, that's what I remember the most."

During the following summer and fall months after her picture-perfect 2017-18 season, Lam was faced with personal battles as well as an uncertainty with her desire to continue with her academic program.

"It was definitely a really high high in the first year, to a really low low," Lam shared when looking back on the 2018-19 year.

Before the winter semester of that academic year, Lam had decided to step away from Ryerson entirely and began to look elsewhere. The 2019-20 school year for Lam consisted of recruiting trips, school visits and program inquiries.

"At that time, I thought maybe I wasn't ready to be in the city, with the distractions and whatnot, so I thought it might not have been my time to be there," she admitted.

Lam looked at schools and talked to coaches across Canada, with the goal of finding a new place she could call home on and off the court.

"I thought maybe I could take a different path," she added. "Go to a different school, maybe less distractions, try a different province or scenery."

A change in scenery was the plan up until early 2020. During an exit meeting with Rams head coach Dustin Reid, Lam was surprised to hear Reid express his interest in her returning.

"He was like, 'we really want you back,' and I was thinking, 'What? This is crazy,'" she reenacted. Lam explained that an encouragement to return as a Ram was the last thing she had expected, but was pleasantly surprised.

"I really thought I was done with Ryerson and I hadn't really spoken to any of the coaches," she revealed, "But for sure, it was Dustin [Reid] who had convinced me. It was a really great meeting that we had. He was very kind, supportive, was gracious to give me an opportunity and was very vocal about wanting me back."

"When maybe other coaches wouldn't have taken me back, he really saw something in me and gave me another chance," she added.

Along with re-joining the team in 2020 prior to the canceled 2020-21 season, Lam also enrolled in Ryerson's Environment and Urban Sustainability (EUS) program and has been thriving ever since.

On her decision to re-join the Rams and enroll in EUS, Lam voiced, "I found a program that I loved and it worked out."

With the 2021-22 season approaching along with a return to the court after a three year absence, Lam is reflective on how she got to this point and how, like many others in a pandemic-ridden world, her reality has differed from the expectations she had when entering university.

"I think coming into it I was expecting the 'four years, I'm done' route," she said, "But life throws stuff at you and you take different routes. Looking back at it now, I'm kind of grateful for what happened."

"This sounds cheesy but everything does happen for a reason," Lam continued. "I think I got a lot closer with Dustin, the coaching staff, and all the people that surround athletics through this process, and it really taught me to ask for help when you need it. I was struggling the worst in that second year and I didn't reach out."

She also expressed extensive gratitude to all Rams staff members including Learning Strategist, Natalie Morning, and Counselor, Colleen Conroy-Amato, saying, "I thought that no one wanted to help me, no one cared, but now sitting here looking back, the staff has been so great and I wouldn't be here, truly, without them and their support."

When asked what she is most looking forward to this upcoming season, Lam answered with a perspective that she claims she did not have a few years ago, saying, "I think at the time during my first year I was kind of rushing through the motions, always looking towards the next game, the next goal, but this time I just want to enjoy it."

Lam also touched on her unique situation of being relatively new to most of her teammates, while also being one of the older, more big-game experienced Rams on the team. She hopes to build upon that team and family atmosphere that drew her to the Rams in the first place.

"I think this time around I'm excited to take on that leadership role, whether I'm starting or not, or whatever happens, I really want to just take it all in."

"In a sense, I've achieved what I want to achieve with a championship and all of that, but this time around, I think it's building a connection with my teammates, focusing on school and the things that come after school. I obviously love volleyball, but I think it'll be different this time for sure."

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Players Mentioned

Alicia Lam: S; 5' 8"; Redshirt

Players Mentioned

Alicia Lam
: 5' 8"; Redshirt
: S