Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 1 | August 2019

military. He left, and that’s when it all took over his life. He had a rough childhood. Pills and alcohol got the best of him, and he committed suicide when I was 2 years old. “I don’t remember anything. My sister does. She was almost 6 when he passed away.” His death rocked the family, changing the trajectories of their lives forever. It particularly affected Vanny Raffety, then a stay-at-home mom who was forced to find a way to provide for her two girls. The odds were stacked against her at the time. An immigrant from Cambodia, she settled in California and married Michael not long after turning 18. She met him while working at a local convenience store in Northern California, and he worked as a security guard at a nearby mall. That may strike some as random, but love rarely follows any script. He enlisted, and the Army later shipped him to Oahu, Hawaii. He and Vanny had two daughters, both born in Honolulu. They moved back to Novato, California—roughly 30miles north of San Francisco—not long after Carol’s birth. Five of Vanny’s seven siblings live in California, and they provided comfort after Michael’s death. Still, Vanny knew she needed to pick up the pieces. She knew that her girls needed for her to pick up the pieces. That meant getting a job and building a future—for all three of them. “When he was in the military, it was really only her, and then when he left, it was only her,” Carol said. “She had to pick it up right away. She’s the strongest woman I know. She had two kids on her own without her husband. She got a job and managed to keep us in California and in school. She’s a great woman, a strong woman.” Vanny Raffety landed a job with State Farm, her place of employment now for the past 20-plus years. She raised her girls the right way, imparting her survival instincts upon them. Not that things were always easy—far from it, in fact. One example came after Carol turned 4. Vanny went to the local school system and begged officials to let her enroll Carol into kindergarten. Her reason—she couldn’t afford daycare. School officials acquiesced, so Carol went to school and attended an after-school program until her mom picked her up each day. Her early start is the reason why she enters her senior year at Tech at the age of only 20. Both daughters became interested in volleyball, though Maxine gave up the sport, preferring more artistic hobbies—today, she works and attends a community college in pursuit of a career in art. Carol became immersed with the sport because of her sister and never lost that enthusiasm. “When she was playing, I would shag [balls], and I would watch every single game,” Carol said. “I begged my mom to put me on the court. I started when I was 9 years old, and I’ve been playing ever since. It’s been like a big outlet for me. It’s legit my only passion.” CROSS-COUNTRY CHOICE Raffety played other sports growing up in Novato. She tried gymnastics, and attempts were made at basketball and soccer. But her idiosyncrasies led her in a different direction. “I’m very competitive— very competitive —and I can’t deal with the contact and being near somebody on the court, like, for basketball,” she said. “I get too into it, where I can get too physical if someone is near me. With volleyball, there is always a net.” Raffety emerged as a talented player and starred both at Marin Catholic High School and on her club team. While on the club circuit, she attracted the attention of then-Virginia Tech coach Chris Riley. Of course, coming to Virginia Tech would mean traveling 2,700 miles away from her mom and family. Initially during the recruiting process, she focused solely on West Coast schools. Riley wanted her to take an unofficial visit, as many prospects do these days before making a college decision. “ ” W hen he was in the military, it was really only her, and then when he left, it was only her. She had to pick it up right away. She’s the strongest woman I know. She had two kids on her own without her husband. She got a job and managed to keep us in California and in school. She’s a great woman, a strong woman. Carol Raffety on her mom, Vanny ITIES inside.hokiesports.com 37 Continued on page 38 volleyball spotlight carol raffety