Seiji Wood
Sports Editor
ISU volleyball senior, Abby Garrity, is currently leading the Big Sky Conference in kills with 219 and is 13th overall in the national rankings, which are impressive stats when you consider that Garrity is mostly deaf.
She can’t hear anything out of her left ear and depends on her hearing aid for her right ear.
“With testing and a perfect environment, I get about 60 percent with my hearing aid in on my right ear,” Garrity said. “I miss a certain amount, but I feel like I adapt pretty well, and I read lips.”
But Garrity’s lack of hearing doesn’t impact her at all on the court.
She’s been a part of Team USA’s deaf volleyball team and in 2016, she competed in the Pan American Deaf Volleyball Games and the World Deaf Volleyball Championships. She won gold medals with both teams.
During the games for Team USA, she wasn’t allowed to use her hearing aids and they communicated by calling a play out ahead of time and hoped that everyone knew what the audibles were.
She said she relies on sign language she picked up and that reading lips was big for her.
“For me, it’s kind of different,” Garrity said. “I was never a part of the deaf community…I grew up main stream…I’ve just never had the opportunity to be around it…but it was awesome. It was a whole different experience and fun.”
Garrity began playing volleyball in seventh grade and quickly realized that she was above average.
“I feel like it came naturally,” Garrity said. “I was pretty athletic at my age, I was tall, and had the height. That helped.”
Garrity then started her collegiate career at Utah Valley but transferred to ISU after her freshman year and has been a key part of the volleyball program ever since.
“There was a great coaching staff, the girls were great, and the atmosphere was fun,” Garrity said. “It fit.”
Garrity’s time at ISU has been well spent. She has close to 1,000 kills as a Bengal, currently sitting at 990. She was named second-team All-Big Sky her junior year, and at the rate she’s been performing so far, may be named first-team this year.
Garrity has been an all-tournament selection in the three tournaments the Bengals have been to this year. She was also named the U.S. Bank Bengal Athlete of the week earlier this year and has led her team in kills in every game so far except for three.
“I just like playing,” Garrity said. “I like being on the court and the role that I have. I like being around the girls. We have a good environment here.”
The Bengals are currently 8-7 and 2-0 in conference play. They recently beat Northern Arizona, who beat No. 8 Florida earlier in the year, in a thrilling five set match.
Garrity plans to play with the deaf team after her time is done at ISU but “hopes to go out with a bang” as she continues her senior season.
