LOWELL, Mass. – Chicago native, Lindsey Visvardis, a senior libero on the UMass Lowell Volleyball team, has been shining on the court ever since she arrived on campus. Since her freshman year in 2015, she has led the team in digs in each of her four years, recording a career high of 439 digs in her freshman season. She was an America East All-Rookie Team selection in 2015 and was voted as the America East Fans' Choice Player of the Year in 2017. Visvardis finished her River Hawk career with 1,613 career digs, which ranks third all-time in school history and first among Div. I players. She is only the fourth player in school history to post 1,500 or more career digs, as she accomplished the feat on October 12, 2018 vs. UAlbany in front of a home crowd at Costello Athletic Center. This illustrious career all started when Head Coach Resa Provanzano saw her high school film.
 
"We had been recruiting her position for a while, but she stood out and played at a high level," said Provanzano. "She was quick on her feet, technically sound, and played with heart. When she came for a visit, I could tell that she was a well-rounded person and a great student as well."

Lindsey is exactly that. Her hard work and production on the court is accompanied by her skills and work ethic in UMass Lowell's distinguished nursing program. She balanced her athletic and academic life so well that she wanted to add even more. In the spring of 2018, Lindsey started working as a clinical assistant at Boston Children's Hospital and has gotten the opportunity to stay throughout the summer and even during the volleyball season this fall. It is already difficult enough to balance being a student-athlete, but Lindsey has found a way to balance her student, academic and professional life because of her passion and determination.
 
"I think adding this work piece is definitely more difficult," said Visvardis. "But it's a matter of knowing that this is something I love to do, so it's not so much that it's a burden to me, but something that I want to do. It's all about time management and using every minute you have in the day wisely."
 
Using the lessons that come with team sports has been extremely helpful with Lindsey's work life. It is an example of the way an athlete can get more out of sports than just statistics and championships. Sports provide an athlete with skills and knowledge that will stay with them for their entire lives.
 
"Being in a team sport has always taught me how to work well with people as well as taught me efficiency and work ethic in general," said Visvardis. "Everything I've learned from volleyball always transfers over to work life especially in a position that works so closely with people, whether it be patients or co-workers. Volleyball has definitely taught me a lot."
 
Lindsey leads by example and her teammates, as well as coaches, picked up on that quickly. She was voted co-captain of the team in just her sophomore year, earning the team's trust early in her career. It is not everyday that a freshman can have that much of an effect on a team, let alone become a captain at the end of the season.    
 
"She worked extremely hard and brought a great positive energy to the team," said Provanzano. "I think her teammates could trust her to bring that to the gym every day and she was leading by example without even realizing it. I began working with her on leadership skills early on, but it was her team that voted her captain in her sophomore season and each year after that. She may have been a young captain that first year, but she took it seriously and did a great job."
 
Now a senior, Visvardis plans on becoming a pediatric nurse in a hospital setting. She knew that she wanted to pursue working with children after starting her pediatric rotation at Children's Hospital in the spring. She has fallen in love with it and wants to continue helping these children.
 
"I definitely know that my goal is to continue to help put a smile on these kids faces as much as they have for me already in this short time," said Visvardis. "I think that the kids have taught me so much and they have that smile on their face every day no matter what, even while going through things that we can only imagine. Their strength and the way they manage to find joy in every day, even though they are kids and do not deserve to be stuck in a hospital, is truly inspirational to see."
 
Her drive and motivation to help people and work in such a difficult, yet inspirational field has partly come from her athletic experience. She has left an impact on the court in each of her four years at UMass Lowell, but will continue to use the lessons she has learned to leave an even bigger impact on the lives of these patients.
 
"Every student-athlete has a unique opportunity to learn lessons in time management, performing under pressure, self motivation and drive, and how to succeed and to fail," said Provanzano. "Lindsey has grown so much in all of these areas, but being part of team sport, she also learned leadership skills and how to work with others, some very different from herself, in an intense environment.  I can see how that will serve her extremely well as a nurse and in all of her future relationships."