Seattle Pacific University Athletics

Prior to SPU: Helped Liberty High School reach the Washington Class 3A (medium / large school) state tournament the past two years, placing 5th in 2024 and 7th in 2023 … Named to the All-State team and to the All-State Tournament team as a senior … Won the state tournament Sportsmanship Award as a junior … Plays tennis during the spring, reaching the district tournament with her doubles partner in 2024.
 
Coach Rhine says: "She hit a lot of the things we were looking for. She has a high GPA and a lot of her teammates and coaches spoke really highly of her in terms of who she is as a teammate and competitor. She has played a lot of outside and right side and has a lot of flexibility in terms of what she can bring to us on the court."

Personal: Maiya Lou Lester. … Nursing major.
 
Reason she chose SPU:  "I picked SPU for numerous reasons. Not only is it close to home and has a beautiful campus, but the nursing program and the proximity to local hospitals excite me. Getting the opportunity to play volleyball was a dream come true because it meant I could chase my athletic goals while also going somewhere that would have amazing academic opportunities."

Fun facts:  Has played volleyball for six years prior to arriving at SPU. … Also plays tennis. … If not for volleyball, would play on tennis full-time, and especially enjoys doubles. … Favorite sports to watch are volleyball, hockey, and tennis. … Dumbest movie she has ever seen is “Dumb and Dumber.” … Book she just couldn’t put down was “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. … Favorite junk food is Twizzlers. … Favorite healthy food is chicken Caesar salad. … Favorite TV program is “Friends.” … Favorite team is the Orlando Valkyries of the Pro Volleyball Federation. … Favorite athletes are Valkyries player Courtney Schwan, and tennis star Serena Williams. … Her dream car is a yellow Volkswagen Beetle convertible. … Last TV show binged was “Friends.” … If she could invite anyone to dinner, it would be American country music singer Megan Moroney or Isaac Newton. For Moroney, “I absolutely love her music and getting to talk to her and listen to her perform live would be incredible.” For Newton, “I would want to ask him why he felt it was necessary to create integral calculus.” She would serve orecchiette pasta (cheesy pasta with peas and bacon), Caesar salad, and apple pie (to remind Newton of getting hit on the head). … If she could be any action hero, would be Indiana Jones because “then I’d know how to use a whip and I’d get to travel the globe saving and recovering important documents and artifacts.” … Her friends call her Mai. … In 10 years, plans to have a career in nursing and working at different hospitals across the United States. … Lived in Germany from kindergarten until just before entering 6th grade. While there, had the opportunity to travel to 31 different countries from Iceland to Turkey to Latvia.