Five-time Big West Freshman of the Week and opposite hitter Logan King celebrates one of her many kills at the Walter Pyramid this season. Diego Perez | Long Beach Current

Hailing from the town of Newmarket in Ontario, Canada, Long Beach State redshirt freshman opposite Logan King is making her mark at the Walter Pyramid.

Volleyball runs in the King bloodline as Logan’s mother, Sarah King, played collegiate volleyball at Kent State University and her sister, Payton King, plays at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

“My family has always been super sports-oriented … and then my sister played, and I kind of followed my sister through everything she did, and I think volleyball just ended up being one of them,” Logan King said.

King might never have ended up in volleyball—she started in soccer and only joined the volleyball team after being encouraged by her parents.

In addition to her offensive prowess, redshirt freshman opposite Logan King ranks third at The Beach in digs with 228. Diego Perez | Long Beach Current

“At a young age, I could see how coordinated and athletic she was, left-handed and destined to be tall,” Sarah King said. “That’s like finding a unicorn in the volleyball world; she had too many unique attributes for me not to introduce her to volleyball.”

Sarah King said she gave her daughter a choice between soccer and volleyball, although they both agree on volleyball being the more successful sports path.

There were several “unknowns” during Logan King’s recruiting process, with the Ontario native looking to embark on a new journey to the U.S. 

“It was a whole ‘nother ball game for me … I didn’t know these schools, they didn’t know me, because I don’t think that there’s a lot of in-depth recruiting into Canada from the NCAA,” Logan King said.

To gain recognition at the NCAA level, the opposite hitter would create videos of her game footage and invite coaches to attend tournaments in both Canada and the U.S. 

Logan King had to overcome the pressure of playing well in front of coaches who had possibly never seen her play before.

After arriving from Canada, the freshman saw the Walter Pyramid for the first time and immediately sensed it was the place where she would make her mark.

However, the Pyramid was not the biggest selling factor for Logan King. 

“It was when I came into the Pyramid, the team had stopped their whole practice, and they all came to individually introduce themselves and gave me a hug,” Logan King said. “That kind of eased all the worries I was having of what it was going to be like, playing in a different country.”

Logan King said it meant a lot to her that she felt welcomed by The Beach family, which allowed her to see LBSU as the right place for her.

“We knew when we recruited her and we knew when she came to the gym in August of last year that she was going to be a force to be reckoned with,” LBSU head coach Natalie Reagan said.

Before Logan King’s success this season, she redshirted, allowing her to learn under former senior outside hitter Natalie Glenn, who was awarded 2024 First-Team All Big West honors. 

“I learned that it matters how you play, regardless of whether you get recognized or how much you get recognized for it,” Logan King said. “Just because it’s not your time now doesn’t mean it’s not going to be your time later.”

LBSU star freshman Logan King ranks third in the Big West for kills per set this season with 3.58. Diego Perez | Long Beach Current

Logan King proved just that, as the five-time Big West Freshman of the Week leads the conference in recognition this season.

She ranks third in the conference in kills per set with 3.58, and hopes to lead The Beach to a Big West Championship as well as make a push into the NCAA Tournament.

Logan King is no stranger to being recognized on the highest stages, having been named Best Opposite at the U21 Pan Am Cup while representing the Canadian National Team this summer. 

Receiving the award was a confidence boost for Logan King, as playing against different countries means adjusting to and learning various styles of volleyball.

“I want to play well for Canada, and I want to represent our country well…and trying to do my best for the team and for the flag was definitely something I had to adjust to, but I think it was a cool opportunity to have,” Logan King said.

As Logan King continues to establish herself at The Beach, her parents remain grateful to the Long Beach community for welcoming their daughter into the fold as she settles into her new home away from home.