Ivey Tapp is a freshman starring for Greer volleyball in its most successful season in years.
Tapp made the varsity team last season — playing more than almost anyone as an eighth-grader.
At face value, Tapp is an incredible story.
But that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.
“Ivey’s got a heart of gold,” said Greer volleyball head coach Melissa Godwin. “What she’s doing at her age every year is incredible.”
Each year on her birthday, July 9, Tapp tones down the gift requests. Instead, she asks friends and family to donate canned food items for charity.
“My first birthday, I didn’t need that many toys at that age, so my parents decided we would donate canned goods to charity,” said Tapp. “After that, it kind of became a tradition. People started asking every year after that about donating canned goods, and it stuck.”
It started relatively small. Now? It’s grown to proportions Tapp never could have imagined.
This past year, Tapp delivered an entire trailer load of canned goods — along with a $24,000 check — to Greer Community Ministries.
“It just makes me feel good to be able to do something like this each year, to be able to help people out who may be less fortunate than me,” said Tapp. “And the fact that it just grows bigger and bigger each year, it’s really cool.”
“Ivey makes me so proud,” said Stacy Tapp, Ivey’s mother. “She puts herself into the role of doing things for others, but never really wants the recognition.”
That recognition has come nonetheless.
For her charity at such a young age, Tapp was awarded a key to the city by the City of Greer in 2023.
“Honestly, I didn’t even really know what a key to the city was,” said Tapp, laughing. “In my head, I really thought I was getting a little tiny key that would open up any single building in the entire city.”
"Even at just 14 years old, she's already figured out the key to life is about serving and helping others," said Godwin. "Some people go through their whole lives without realizing that."
Tapp is the youngest person ever to be awarded a key to the city of Greer. She’s the Greer High freshman class president. At just 14 years old, her accomplishments off the court tower over many twice her senior.
But what Tapp has been able to do on the volleyball court? Well, that’s not too shabby either.
She’s been a key component of Greer volleyball since last year, playing almost every minute last season as an eighth-grader.
This season, she’s back and better than ever.
As Greer’s setter, she’s a huge reason why the Lady Jackets are 18-6, near the top of their region, and well on pace for their best record in over 20 years.
“She is as mentally tough as it gets,” said Godwin. “At that age, playing against girls who are much older than you can be intimidating. But she has that ‘Why not me?’ attitude to where that pressure just doesn’t get to her.”
It’s that same attitude — ‘Why not me?’ — that Ivey has off the court. That’s the mentality she carries with her each day, doing things most her age would only dream of.
“She’s one of those kids where the bigger the idea, the better,” said Stacy. “You just never, ever want to hold her back.”
“I’ve got so many people in my life, family and friends, that are so supportive of all the things I want to do,” said Ivey. “My friends think the canned food drive is one of the coolest things ever.
“Their love and motivation for my goals, that’s what pushes me to keep going.”
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