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Adversity propels Heartland’s Olivia Test
By Ryan Buck
COLUMBIANA
At first glance and later on film, Heartland Christian School senior Olivia Test simply looks the part of a volleyball player.
At 5-feet-11 inches, she moves seamlessly around the court for low-crouching digs and leaping blocks.
“Quickness is a big part of it because as a middle hitter, your job is to block everything,” said Test, 18. “It involves a lot of blocking and transitioning, a lot of talking, communicating with the setter to know what you’re going to hit that play.”
Turning defense into offense, she’ll explode skyward atop the net as she spikes the ball back down towards a helpless group of opponents.
What can’t be seen, however, is a deep devotion to her faith and unwavering self confidence. They’ve been forged through the most challenging of family adversities, a foundation for a stellar volleyball career and a life destined to be impactful.
On Nov. 1, 2005, life took an unexpected turn for Olivia’s father, Pete, her mother, Kim, and younger brother, Alden.
“I couldn’t get out of bed,” said Pete, a commercial airline pilot. “I had flu-like symptoms, got really dizzy and was throwing up a lot.
“A couple days later my wife wouldn’t let me stay in bed any longer. She got a bunch of big guys and threw me in a truck and took me to the hospital. They took a scan and said, ‘Call the helicopter. Now.’
“I said, ‘For the flu?’ They flew me down to Beaver then to downtown Pittsburgh. I was pretty much there all Christmas and it wasn’t a good diagnosis.”
Pete was diagnosed with Central Nervous System Lymphoma, a form of brain cancer, and underwent an intense treatment.
“When your neurologist, the head of the department, looks at you and says, ‘We’re gonna try these chemicals and mix em up. It’s either gonna work or it’s gonna kill you,’ it’s a scary moment,” Pete said.
Despite a relapse and losing his job, he slowly recovered and the family persevered.
“What got me through was thinking, ‘Someday this is all going to be behind us and it’ll turn out well,’ ” said Pete, who is again flying. “We’ll be able to enjoy life again.”
The Columbiana community rallied around the Test family. Friends and strangers, alike, raised money, prepared meals, and cared for Olivia and Alden while Kim stayed with her husband.
“Alden and I were really young- I was in fifth grade and he was in third grade,” Olivia said. “At that point we really didn’t know.
“Cancer, I didn’t know the real definition. I knew that he was sick and it was hard to go through. There was so much overwhelming support for Alden and I that it was easier than it could’ve been.
“I think that was a major point where we really came together. We needed to be there for our dad and we turned to God to ease the situation. It definitely brought us closer together.”
Originally an avid and competitive horseback rider, Olivia was urged by a friend to try out for the Heartland Christian volleyball team in seventh grade.
“I wouldn’t say at first that I really loved it,” she said. “It took a little while; I was not very good. The people I was surrounded with, the coaches, encouraged me to keep going and then it became my love.
“By my eighth grade year I was pretty hooked on it.”
Humble beginnings led to steady improvements on the court, thanks to coaching from the Infinity Volleyball Club.
“We were both new to the whole volleyball thing,” said Columbiana senior volleyball standout Cassidy Stoddard, a close friend and seventh grade teammate of Olivia’s. “I think that having someone as good as her and watching her develop made me better as well. She’s just the type of person that encourages you along.”
As Olivia began playing in more club tournaments and showcases while approaching the conclusion of her high school career, college coaches began to take notice. The high school sports website, MaxPreps, has her near the top of state and national ranks as a middle hitter.
“She’s definitely grown in confidence,” said a college coach familiar with her play. “Certainly her skills have developed over the years. She can definitely perform with all the skills at a pretty high level.
Off the court, she’s disregarded her growing list of accolades while becoming a school and community leader. She’s president of her senior class, the student council and Heartland Christian’s LEO Club chapter.
“You can definitely see God’s hand work through someone in any arena and it showed me that it could be a volleyball court and you could still shine,” Kim said. “After matches, coaches and people from our team and opposing teams would remark, ‘Wow I love her attitude. She just shines.’
“It’s taught me to shine wherever I am.”