Roman philosopher Seneca famously said, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” Those words of wisdom seem to intertwine the life of Suzanne Lowry, head referee for the AVP Beach Tour and a FIVB and NCAA referee, who has worked on some of the sport’s largest stages.
But the road to those successes started in a most unlikely place. Lowry was born and raised in Due West, S.C., a small town roughly 200 miles northwest of Charleston — the town still has no red lights to this day. It was there she attended high school and played basketball, ran track and played soccer, in addition to volleyball. During her senior year, she decided to focus solely on volleyball, and eventually went on to excel at the College of Charleston. There, Lowry was a six-rotation passing middle — this was before the libero position was adopted. She still holds multiple school records, was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2009 and once had 45 kills in a match.
It was during that time at the College of Charleston where she first got into officiating, and where she also met her future husband, fellow referee Keith Murless. While she was attending the College of Charleston, Lowry started officiating during the summer, on opposite nights of her summer school classes. And while the officiating bug didn’t bite her during that time, it did open the door to future success.
“I got the bug later on when I got to the point where I wasn’t playing as competitively as I wanted to on 35-year-old legs as opposed to 25-year-old legs,” Lowry said. “Keith taught me a lot and that is when I got the bug.”
She initially met Murless while she was the speaking captain for her final three years on the College of Charleston team. Murless often refereed her matches and as speaking captain, she had a chance to interact with him. The two played co-ed doubles together and became friends. Years later, they found each other at an AVP party and as she says, “The rest is history.”
Lowry began working on the beach scene and eventually parlayed that into the indoor college season. Now, she is one of the most recognizable faces in volleyball officiating as she has officiated on six continents and in 39 countries. She is the current head referee for the AVP and that experience and success led to her being chosen to lead a record-breaking crew in 2023. The University of Nebraska decided to host a match outdoors in its football stadium and 92,003 people showed up, setting a record for the largest crowd ever to watch a women’s sporting event. Her outdoor beach experience made her the perfect candidate to lead the crew and when she was tabbed by Marcia Alterman, Big 12 coordinator of volleyball officials, it was beyond her wildest dreams.
“It has been life-changing and I don’t say that to be hyperbolic,” Lowry said. “The stadium match changed my life. We all have some imposter syndrome. Do I really belong here? That is what really turned me to, ‘Yes, you belong here. You’ve earned this.’”
That presence to lead in large moments, combined with a marketing background — Lowry used to be the director of marketing for T-Mobile — has helped her both in her officiating life and now in her role on the NASO board.
“Executive composure, comportment, that boardroom mentality, I am able to take that into my interactions with coaches,” Lowry said. “That has helped me in terms of how I present myself and how we market ourselves. That outside perspective persona is so important.
