Loyola volleyball standout Aidan Peters ready for Stanford life

Season Interrupted: Aidan Peters hangs onto that West Coast vibe

Columnist

June 8, 2020 7:30 AM PT

Throughout the spring, The Times will interview high school seniors whose athletic careers were cut short by the coronavirus outbreak.

Name: Aidan Peters

School: Los Angeles Loyola

Sport: Volleyball, outside hitter

Key stats: A 6-foot-2 all-leaguer in 2019, Peters was part of a contender for a Southern Section Division 1 championship when the season was canceled; 4.2 grade-point average

Fall plans: Will attend Stanford

On the season being canceled:

“It was real tough, especially the day it happened. It was one of the biggest games of the year against Corona del Mar, a rematch where we lost a five-match battle.”

On balancing school and sports:

“I’ve always went with school first. That was always my mind-set because who knew I’d be so lucky to be able to play college volleyball and get the opportunity to go to a school like Stanford.”

On the public service requirements at Loyola:

“We’re all required to do a senior service project, a three-week break.... We go to a school. Mine was in southern Torrance.... We get to meet and interact with all these little children.... It teaches you so much how fortunate we are.”

What did you try to pass on to the kids:

“I was just trying to make them smile and brighten their day. I would try to connect with them and tell them to work hard.”

On life without sports:

“I’ve been going to the beach a lot, reading a lot, playing a lot of ping pong.... Because of quarantine, I’ve been surfing almost every day.”

On the lessons he’s learned:

“Not take life for granted. I was in the middle of my senior year playing volleyball. We had a great team. Every chance we get to be on the court, take it.”

Why he chose Stanford:

“It’s an incredible campus.... And it’s in California. West Coast, best coast.”

Video interviews of each athlete can be found at latimes.com/sports/highschool.