ORLANDO, Fla. | 2025 AAU Volleyball Junior National Championships

For Audrey Bostwick, volleyball has always been more than a sport. It’s been a refuge, a passion, and over the past two years, a powerful source of strength.
The 14-year-old libero from Preston, Idaho, arrived in Florida with her Mountain Peak teammates not just to compete, but to celebrate something deeply personal: clarity.

Just twenty-four hours before flying out to the 2025 AAU Volleyball Nationals, Audrey received a long-awaited diagnosis after more than a year of complex medical testing. The journey began in late 2023 when a routine doctor visit for strep throat turned into something far more serious. Her doctor noticed an unusual deviation in her tongue. At first, it didn’t seem like a big concern, but months later it became clear something was wrong. Doctors feared a tumor pressing against the nerves that control her tongue, leading to months of testing, including MRIs, EKGs, EMGs, and a lumbar puncture.

“We were scared,” Audrey’s mother Lindsay, recalls. “For months we were testing for everything from mini strokes to multiple sclerosis and even ALS.”

Despite the uncertainty, volleyball remained Audrey’s constant.

“No matter what I did at the hospital, I always came back to practice,” she said. “It was my escape. I could just play and forget everything else. It was almost like my little secret.”

Last week, Audrey was officially diagnosed with Parry-Romberg Syndrome, a rare degenerative condition that causes facial atrophy. There is no cure, and the condition varies widely in severity. But for Audrey and her mom, the news came with a wave of relief as tests ruled out a brain tumor and ALS.

“Every little ache or pain, I was worried. Is this it? Is this where she stops being able to play the sport she loves?” said Lindsay, Audrey’s mom. “Now that we know it’s not ALS or a brain tumor, we are so relieved and happy to be here playing volleyball.”

Now, at the heart of the biggest volleyball tournament in the world, Audrey is doing exactly what she loves: Competing with her team and embracing every moment on the court.

“You’d never know she’s going through anything,” said her coach Dixie Loveless. “She’s always working hard, always smiling. Always showing up for her team.”

Audrey isn’t just competing at the biggest volleyball tournament in the world. She’s living in the moment. Surrounded by teammates, supported by her community, and doing what she loves.