Sophomore phenom Brad Lawson is on his way to accomplishing something no other Cardinal hitter has done in the past three years — he is currently leading school record holder Evan Romero in kills. Last year, Lawson came in second to Romero’s 485 kills with 400 of his own. Thus far this season, Lawson is at 255 and Romero trails close behind at 209.
Is it that Lawson, an outside hitter, played in the Junior Olympics in his first year of indoor volleyball? Is it that he spends too much time lifting weights? Or is it that Lawson’s lifetime of volleyball experience outdoes Romero’s relative newcomer status to the sport?
Whatever the case, Lawson has a year of collegiate experience under his belt, preceded by a long history of volleyball accolades. The Lawsons have volleyball in their blood — both of Brad’s parents played, especially on the beaches of Hawaii. Lawson is a two-time Junior Olympic selection, having led his team to silver in 2006. He played for the U.S. junior national team in the 2008 NORCECA championships in El Salvador and represented the United States in the 2009 FIVB World Championships in India.
“I was always around [volleyball] because of my family. My dad played club in college. He was always playing on the beach when I was a little kid, so I was always around it,” Lawson said. “When I was 13, we made it to the under-14 Junior Olympics my first year playing.”
Besides introducing him to the sport, his parents have had a considerable impact on his career — including choosing a position.
“During middle school, they wanted to make me a middle blocker, but my parents said, ‘If you’re going to be a middle blocker, we’re not going to let you play volleyball,’” Lawson said. “I really wanted to play outside, too, because my dad was an outside. And outside is more fun than middle.”
Regardless of the intense demeanor that Lawson radiates on the court, his childhood love of the game is still with him.
“My favorite thing [from first playing volleyball] was learning the sport — I had never played indoor, so it was an entirely new thing for me,” he said. “I had always been around beach.”
“[Also], most of my friends always hung out together, so being on a team with all your friends was awesome,” he added.
The Hawaii native successfully transitioned from a beach player to an indoor one, and was widely recognized by volleyball powerhouses across the country; or, more specifically, in California. UC-Santa Barbara even made a visit out to Hawaii to see Lawson in action. Among the schools heavily recruiting him were Stanford, Irvine, Pepperdine, Santa Barbara and USC.
“Pepperdine was my very close second, but academics and athletics at Stanford is a tough combination to beat,” Lawson said of his decision.
Division I athletics and elite academics became a reality — and a question of time management — for Lawson once he stepped onto the Stanford campus.
“Obviously Stanford is a tough academic school, so with the workload comes the necessity to manage your time,” he said. “We practice every day, so getting essays and homework done beforehand is important, especially before games and traveling.”
Not only was Lawson expected to perform well in the classroom, but he had challenges ahead of him on the court as well.
“There was a lot of pressure coming out of high school, having a good high school career,” Lawson said. “I felt a lot of pressure to perform my freshman year, and maybe it was a little overwhelming at times. During the early few matches, I was so nervous.”
But this laid-back Hawaiian shows no signs of nervousness. Maybe it’s because his artistic personality keeps him relaxed. A lover of music, singing and the piano, Lawson would consider taking more lessons if volleyball ever fell through.
However, that seems unlikely. This sophomore outside hitter has high hopes for a national championship and a professional career in the future — either indoor or beach.
“I hope for a national championship,” he said. “I know that’s one of our big goals this year coming off our success from last year and just seeing where we’ve come in the past few years: ‘from worst to first’ they call it.”
While a simpler but sometimes more demanding game, beach volleyball may actually work out well for Lawson. If Kawika Shoji were his partner, they might be able to recreate the Stanford version of the Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers beach duo. The two have displayed a number of times this season that they can succeed in both hitting and setting.
“I would switch places with Kawika [Shoji]. I’ve always loved the setting position, even though it’s an under-recognized position,” Lawson said. “He performs very well on the court, and he’s such a great competitor. He’s focused on what he does and a good athlete.”
Whether or not he follows a career in volleyball or the technology industry, as his academic interests imply, Lawson has added a distinct level of experience and passion to Stanford volleyball.