The junior outside hitter has coordinated every aspect of the games, from the promotion to the community involvement to the educational materials distributed.

"Abbie has really combined her passions. She is a talented volleyball player, but she is also incredibly passionate about her background in American Sign Language [ASL] and the deaf studies program and the deaf community," Colpoys said. "It's been really cool to see it come to life and to welcome a community that maybe otherwise isn't always at the forefront of who is invited to things at Holy Cross within athletics."

Lane, an environmental studies major, is minoring in deaf studies at Holy Cross. Her interest in ASL started when she had to fulfill a foreign language requirement at Weatherford High School in Texas.  

"Our high school really only offered ASL or Spanish and everybody takes Spanish, so I really didn't want to do something everybody else was doing," Lane said. "I was genuinely interested in ASL too, and I wanted to learn more."

Although Lane didn't have a personal connection to the deaf community, she quickly became immersed in learning everything about the deaf culture. She continued her studies at Holy Cross, where she was exposed to some of the accessibility issues deaf people encounter. 

As a sophomore last year, Lane was assigned a project in which students picked a location on the Holy Cross campus that they think either does or does not have good accessibility. Lane chose the athletics facilities. 

Once she told Colpoys about the project, Colpoys mentioned a former Holy Cross player wanted to host a Deaf Awareness Game a few years ago but COVID-19 hampered the plans.

Lane's curiosity was piqued, and she took the idea and ran with it.

She received help last year from a teammate who also studied ASL but coordinated this season's match largely on her own.

Lane reached out to the deaf community in the Worcester, Massachusetts, area to invite them to attend. She received feedback from her ASL professors about what would be helpful for deaf fans at a volleyball match.

All the videos created included closed captioning and signing. Holy Cross had a live interpreter at the match and athletes signed the national anthem. 

Lane created fliers to hand out to fans that featured photos of her teammates doing hand signs that equated to terms in volleyball like kill, block or point.

Holy Cross held a modified "silent set" where everyone in the gym besides the coaches and players was silent for the first eight points of the first set.

"We had quite a few people from the deaf community show up to the game to watch and support us playing volleyball. That is really what made me the most happy," Lane said. "Not only did this educate and bring awareness, but having the deaf community involved was really special."

Stephanie Clark, the program coordinator for deaf studies and sign language at Holy Cross, believes the deaf community appreciated all the efforts made on its behalf.

"Oftentimes, deaf people feel like they have to chase people who can hear in order to be included and remind them of the concept called universal design, which means the general design of environments and events and activities that are open to anyone and truly anyone can attend and have access without having to chase people to be included," Clark said. "The way Abbie set it up was very inclusive and welcoming for deaf people. That is huge."

Lane is grateful for all the help she received from her coaches, teammates and the staff at Holy Cross. She was a bit intimidated when she first decided to minor in deaf studies, but her professors welcomed her with open arms. Clark called Lane's sign language skills "outstanding."

"They are so amazing at teaching. I think that has made it much more enjoyable," Lane said. "They are understanding that you don't know the language and they do everything they can to support and help you here."

Holy Cross has won both Deaf Awareness Game matches it has hosted. Lane had a double-double last season and capped this year's victory with the match-clinching kill.

"The deaf community kind of felt with our support, and with their inclusiveness and support of us, the universe has favored them," Clark said. "Their team has been favored by the inspiration given to them by the deaf community."

Lane's ASL studies have helped the entire volleyball program learn more about the deaf community and be aware of inclusion for people with disabilities overall.

"Our program is big on volleyball, but also big about more than just volleyball, whether helping people in the classroom or culturally, and community service," Colpoys said. "We want people in our program to grow as humans and give back to our community in different ways. Abbie's work epitomizes that."

Clark, who has seen Lane blossom from the perspective of a professor, agrees. 

"To be able to figure out how to share her love and include the community and inspire the community and then inspire her teammates and inspire the school, I think is just outstanding," Clark said. "She is an example of a student's motivation, commitment and quality of a human being."

Although she doesn't view herself any differently than others on campus, Lane appreciates her ability as a student-athlete to use her platform for good.

"It's great to be in a position where I can bring awareness to something that I am so passionate about," Lane said. "I am able to reach people I may not be able to as just a regular student. It's been a real privilege."

Lane has juggled multiple ambitions since arriving at Holy Cross. The last two years, she has taken part in a spring break immersion program the college offers. This year, she learned about sustainable food production at a farm in New Hampshire.

"Being a student-athlete is hard, but I have acquired so many life skills between academics and athletics, like what you go through schedule-wise and just the workload and time management," Lane said. "I would never have guessed I'd learn so much of that when I arrived at Holy Cross."

Lane first started playing volleyball at age nine, overcoming her family's initial skepticism about her abilities.

"My parents were convinced I would not be athletic," Lane said. "I tried all the sports, and they thought I would love museums and bands. But I picked up a volleyball and became the athlete I am now."

As one of the top players in the Patriot League, Lane was an all-tournament team selection this season at the FAU Invitational. She closed out the season by recording her 18th career double-double, including a career-high 16 digs in Holy Cross' final match.

But Lane's motivation to excel goes beyond her own personal success.

"She is truly an ultimate competitor. She is one of the most competitive athletes I've ever worked with," Colpoys said. "She just really wants to win, but also wants to do it with other people. She is really passionate about this program and leaving her mark on the program and helping us grow and get to a better place."

Lane hopes that legacy includes keeping the deaf community immersed with the Holy Cross volleyball program.

She is already excited about planning next season's match. It will be the final one before she graduates. Although none of her teammates are currently taking ASL, Lane has been busy recruiting.

"I am encouraging freshmen and incoming freshmen to take ASL so I can pass it down," Lane said. "I don't want this to go away after I graduate. I want it to be something that keeps going so that Holy Cross athletics can be connected to the deaf community for a long time."

Rhiannon Potkey is an award-winning sports reporter based in Knoxville, Tennessee. She was a college beat reporter at the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Salt Lake Tribune and Ventura County Star. Her work now appears in multiple outlets.
 
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