Lauren Attieh is a fourth-year outside hitter and team captain on the Cascades women’s volleyball team (WVB) at UFV. Attieh has over 800 kills and 600 digs in her Canada West career to date.
What was your reaction to Cailin Bitter reaching 2000 career assists?
I’ve known Cailin since high school. We played club together in grade 11 and 12 — and before that, we’d always played [against] each other in school … I’ve seen her develop into the player she is.
2000 assists is such a cool milestone … but it doesn’t even encapsulate all that Cailin does for this program and for the sport itself. She’s such a trooper, and she’s probably the player on the team that I look up to the most.
And Emily Matsui with 1000 career digs?
I’ve also known her for so long … we played zone volleyball together when we were going into grade 10, and I played against her in club as well … I have this insider look of their whole volleyball journey, and it makes me happy to see them get recognition.
This [is] such a specific and cool accolade … Some other liberos in the league wouldn’t be getting the touches that she does. She gets the ball up like none other … so it doesn’t surprise me, honestly. They’re a different breed, I tell you.
Your favourite animal and why?
That’s so easy … My favorite animal is a bald eagle … they’re images of strength and courage and hope. Even when I just look at them it gets me fired up … like a National Geographic shot, or some of these crazy videos that I see. In the Lower Mainland there’s so many bald eagles, especially right now, the main time to see them is this season.
I’ve never looked at a picture of an eagle before a game … but maybe I should, because I seriously think it would get me hype … and I’ve been bird watching before, I literally went to — it’s called Brackendale … it’s kind of near Squamish. I went eagle watching with some binoculars, and it was one of the coolest things I’ve done.
How would you describe having both of your sisters on the team with you last year?
Last year was really cool … Tal [Attieh] wasn’t a red shirt anymore, and it was Gabby [Attieh]’s final year of eligibility, so the three of us actually got to play together last year. That was the dream since we were young, but I [don’t] think [any] of us even put that much thought into it. We all thought we were going to go on different volleyball journeys and paths … I’m so thankful for how life shook out and we were able to play together.
When the season was done we all had a moment after we lost the bronze medal game, where we sat in the change room crying to each other knowing how much this meant for us, and how sad it was that it finished — but how happy we were that it actually happened. And in years to come this little era is something we’re gonna tell our kids about.
Why do you love Spider-Man?
I mainly got that from my brother … he’s a big Spider-Man guy. Something about Spider-Man’s disposition. I feel like we’re quite similar the way he’s a bit silly. Depends on the actual Spider-Man we’re talking about [too]. I really like the Tobey Maguire [version] … he’s the most Spider-Man.
Is there an origin story of your Swaggydawg moniker?
The age old question … to be honest, it’s not as sick as I wish it was. When I came to UFV two years ago there were two other Laurens … Lauren Way [and] Lauren Rommel. So there were three of us, and Janelle [Rozema] clocked that right away … she [didn’t] think three different Laurens would work … [so] they had nicknames … Way and Rommel, just their last names.
I had an older Instagram account [that] suddenly got removed one day … so I remade another one [and] I was like, why does it have to be something basic? Let’s just make a new name for myself … so I jokingly named it Swaggydawg Lauren. I think Janelle had seen that, and she’s like, why don’t we just do Swaggy?
I wish it was because of my persona … that would be a lot cooler, but I try and live up to it every day the best I can.
Are you a dog or a cat person?
I’m actually 100 per cent a cat person; I love cats. I have one, I call him my son — his name’s Richard. I do love dogs … I think they’re great animals. Swaggydawg Lauren is less so that they’re my favorite animal, but more so because I think I got that dawg in me.
Q&A has been edited for length and readability.
