Marquette junior Livia Balling’s priority in sports has been volleyball.
But basketball has been gaining momentum in the 6-foot forward’s heart and mind.
“I definitely started off super timid,” Livia Balling said. “I’ve slowly been getting out of my shell. I never really knew if basketball was going to be my thing or not because I’m more volleyball. But I love it.
“I’ve grown to love the game because of my team too. It’s just a great environment to be around. The coaches really made me love the sport. I feel like I’ve learned so much from them. Everything’s just going well.”
Indeed, the youthful Blazers (24-4) have advanced to the Class 1A state championship game in Indianapolis at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. They’ll try to add to their titles from 2018 and 2019 and prevent top-ranked Lanesville (28-1) from matching that back-to-back feat.
Marquette coach Katie Collignon is happy Livia Balling, who averages 6.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals, has factored into the equation.
“She came into the season letting me know that her goal was to get a scholarship in college to play volleyball,” Collignon said. “I want to support kids in all of their goals. But I’m glad she stuck with basketball. I told her I’d work with her as much as I could, but definitely come postseason, I’m going to need you. So luckily she took that to heart. She’s really committed to basketball, which I appreciate because we need her.”
Collignon knows what that commitment means for Livia Balling.
“It’s a lot,” Collignon said. “Most times, she’s leaving our tournament games and going to play a volleyball tournament the next day. So I give her a lot of credit. But she doesn’t show up tired. She doesn’t show up cranky.
“She understands what this means. Her older brother (Lukas) lost in the semistate championship last year. Her family understands this is special and it’s hard to get here. They helped keep her grounded and understand how massive this moment can be.”
Lukas Balling, a freshman at Loras, was one of the Marquette boys basketball team’s key players during its run to a 1A semistate final as a senior last season.
This journey has been a bit unusual for Livia Balling because it has unfolded without her twin sister, Elaina, who decided not to play this season. Collignon said Elaina Balling is “another great kid” and “a big supporter.”
“She’s focusing on volleyball,” Livia Balling said about Elaina. “She’s a setter, and she feels like she has more to work on. I still get some reps in the gym during basketball season, spiking. I do miss her, though. In the beginning, it really touched me. But I’ve gotten used to it. She’s sad she’s not playing.
“We tried to convince her — my dad, my brother — we all tried. But she knows she’s coming back next year. She’s doing it. She’s going to get back into it. Senior year, it’s going to be good.”
Junior year has already been good for Livia Balling, who said, “This is the year I really started being more confident.” She has improved her defense and rebounding. She’s more comfortable with her shot, showing range with her jumper, and has been stronger with her passes.
Junior forward Natalie Robinson has seen Livia Balling’s progress.
“She’s a really good player,” Robinson said. “She has a really good corner jump shot. She’s a really good catch-and-shoot person. She can sometimes shoot the three, even though she doesn’t really shoot them.
“She’s a very nice person, sweet. But when she gets on the court, she’s a different person.”
Collignon also praised the contributions from Livia Balling, who had 10 points and four rebounds in Marquette’s dramatic win against Clinton Central in the semistate final.
“I just love Livi,” Collignon said. “She has such a good attitude. She has such a knack for the game of basketball. There’s an ease when she plays. It’s one of those things where she can go all summer playing more volleyball than basketball, and she walks into practice and it just looks like she’s been playing for months.
“She’s athletic. She has such good hands and feet. She’s active. She has a nose for the basketball. And she can also knock down a jumper when we need it. Overall, she’s just a really good part of our team.”
Livia Balling’s father, Ross, owns and operates EVP, a company that runs beach volleyball tournaments and aims to develop the sport around Chicagoland.
“I could never pick (between volleyball and basketball),” Livia Balling said. “I feel like they’re both kind of natural with me. But I focus more on volleyball because I play in the summer. I do wish I put more time in for basketball. But most of my time is spent on volleyball.
“I have club practices on Mondays and Wednesdays and tournaments on the weekends. So I’ve missed a couple of basketball games. But I would never miss this. I’m just so excited for this game. Every practice has been a joy, just getting ready for the big moment on Saturday. It’s going to be amazing. It’s something I’m going to remember forever, just being there with the team. We’ve been working, just wanting to go as far as we can. This is how far we’ve come, one more game, the last game of the season, and now we just have to finish it off.”
