MEET MORGAN WIJAY: THE WOMAN BEHIND LA’S VOLLEYBALL CLUB MELTING POT

Posted by Marisa Richard | Oct 26, 2017 | Featured, Highlights, Profile, Recognition, Stories |

Volleyball runs in Morgan Wijay’s blood. Her roots stem from her father who coached volleyball at inner-city schools and was eventually inducted into the Indiana Coaching Hall of Fame in 2012, and the apple doesn’t fall far – Morgan is following in her father’s footsteps. After playing throughout her childhood, all four years of her tenure at the University of Houston and now with 20 years of coaching under her belt, she is club director of the Supernova All-Stars, a premier Los Angeles volleyball club that is socio-economically diverse and gives girls of all racial, religious and economic backgrounds the opportunity to fellowship and grow through the sport of volleyball.

When she started Supernova in 2010, she had no idea that it’d grow to be the platform it is today. With just the intentions of empowering young women no matter their background, she’s become a diversity advocate for the LA community in her own right. “I really didn’t realize how diverse I was being until people pointed it out; sometimes you don’t go into things thinking you’re going to make a difference but then you do,” explained Wijay.

With her husband, who assists with various aspects of the club, and her diverse group of coaches, the mission is simple: to be a club where everybody feels important and build more than volleyball players. Since inception their mission has been successful. Serving about 160-180 girls, ages six to eighteen, with a retention rate of 94% Wijay and her team are raising a community of girls and teaching the game of volleyball while also teaching them the importance of enjoying people for who they are and the differences they can bring to the table.

Wijay faces numerous challenges in the world of volleyball in the LA community including being a female club director. “The world of club volleyball is typically owned by men. So, she does everything she can to be present. She meets with parents and goes out to talk to girls and they’re very receptive of her,” said husband and partner, Indi Wijay.

There’s also a task and responsibility Morgan Wijay has given herself to make sure her club is accessible to all diverse backgrounds and inclusive to all through the yearly participation fees. The yearly fee for the season comes to about $3200.00 and includes uniform, coaching, gym spaces, insurance and tournaments. “We have the extremely wealthy and we also have the people who work extremely hard to let their girls play volleyball,” Morgan explained.

Morgan has made a positive name for herself in the LA volleyball scene. She’s often known as the turnaround coach, people trust what she can do on and off the court and her girls are always inspired by her because they see her standing strong and leaving a positive impact.

Moving forward, Morgan just wants to continue to create opportunities for all girls in her community and continue to make an impact, she explained. “In 5 years I see us growing and continuing to stay active, maybe even a volleyball facility for the community, who knows.”