A bright light.

The smile that illuminated every room, and a voice that uplifted and inspired.

A magnetic presence that not only drew people in but brought out the best in everyone who crossed paths with him.

That’s who Braun Levi was to people who knew him.

And for the many lives Levi touched, that is who he continues to be – even if he is not here to spread his all-encompassing warmth and unrelenting spirit.

“Braun was a bright light,” said Jennifer Levi, Braun’s mother. “He was the kid who walked into any room or situation and elevated it just by being himself – his smile, his laughter. He saw everybody. He was inclusive. He had a way of making everyone feel important, and he made every situation fun and memorable.”

Braun Levi’s lingering impact goes so far as to have brought together two crosstown rivals in remembrance of the 18-year-old tennis star who died May 4.

The matchup between No. 1 UCLA men’s volleyball and No. 5 USC on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion honored the memory of Braun Levi – who has impacted the lives of players on both sides of the Battle for Los Angeles – and sought to continue the legacy of someone who has brought the volleyball community together to seize the day, to spread positivity and warmth and to “Live Like Braun.”

Braun Levi’s biggest introduction to the volleyball community was when he became the student manager of the boys’ varsity volleyball team at Loyola High School, just a few miles away from USC and about 13 miles away from UCLA.

“Being the manager for the Loyola boys’ varsity volleyball team was one of his greatest joys,” Jennifer Levi said. “It was an opportunity for him to create hype where there wasn’t too much. It was a way for him to be a player without even stepping his foot on the court.”

While he never spiked the ball over the net, blocked the opponent or served an ace, his impact on the team and its culture was felt well beyond the scoreboard.

“He did it in his own original way, by getting some other friends to be managers with them, dressing in suits, putting on sunglasses, blasting music, running up and down the bleachers, telling kids to all wear the same thing to volleyball matches,” Jennifer Levi said. “He loved camaraderie. He loved sports. He loved lifting people up, and being the volleyball manager was his pinnacle of being able to do all of those things.”

The pinnacle of Braun Levi’s impact on Loyola volleyball came when he set up a tailgate in the parking lot before a rivalry match between Loyola and Mira Costa High School, Jennifer Levi said.

The LA Times wrote about Braun Levi – who grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and brought everyone together before the game to rally support – and the importance of the spirit of high school athletics.

But beyond the team and school culture, he also touched the lives of individuals, including Bruin sophomore outside hitter Sean Kelly and Trojan outside hitter Dillon Klein.

The former grew close with Braun Levi through Loyola volleyball, with the team winning the CIF title during Kelly’s senior year when he was a junior manager, while the latter first met Braun Levi through their fathers, who attended Stanford together.

Regardless of when Braun Levi met Klein and Kelly, the presence and impact he left are the same, the two outside hitters said.

“He was the most positive, enthusiastic, friendly, outgoing person I’ve ever met,” Klein said. “I want to be completely honest: Anyone who ever met Braun would remember Braun. I remember having buddies at different schools that he went out to visit asking me how I knew this kid, and he somehow made friends with everyone. And there was never a dull moment with him.”

Kelly echoed Klein’s sentiments, adding that Braun Levi was someone people wanted to be around.

“He was the life of everything, the life of the party, life of the team,” Kelly said. “He’s like a sunlight where you are. He attracts people. He’s a people person. It was so fun to be around him at all times.”

Braun Levi’s impact was so far-reaching that even the people who knew him best did not realize all of the lives he touched.

“I had no idea his impact on other people, and I had no idea how many people he knew,” Jennifer Levi said. “I had no idea until after he died, and now I understand when you love, when you see the good in everyone or you embrace the quirkiness in everyone and you love everyone for who they are, they all love you back.”

“Everything I do right now is to keep his legacy alive, to make him proud, to change laws so that this doesn’t happen to any other family,” Jennifer Levi said. “I have no doubt in my mind that Braun would want us to be doing what we’re doing now, which is making positive impact, living our lives, doing good things, telling stories and making connections.”

And for Klein and Kelly, Braun Levi has never stopped being their No. 1 supporter.

Whether it’s the LLB written on Kelly’s shoes or the LLB bracelet Klein wears every day, Braun Levi serves as a constant driving force in both players’ lives.

“I look down at my LLB wristband and think, ‘What would Braun do, and how would he approach this situation?’ It always gives me a little bit of grace knowing that he’s up there watching, and he’s still with us,” Klein said. “In some way, remembering who he was as a person and trying to live out my life in a similar way that he would really helps me get through tough times, not so tough times, brings a smile to my face, sometimes brings a tear, and I do feel his presence in my daily life and on the court.”

UCLA and USC may be fierce rivals, but Friday night, two sides became one to honor a person who was bigger than the game of volleyball and for many, greater than life itself.

“I know that Braun had a huge impact on many communities, and this is a great opportunity for us to celebrate a fantastic kid in Braun Levi, and it will be about the volleyball, but we’re all playing for something bigger than ourselves. I’m excited to celebrate him while being able to compete at a sport I love,” Klein said before the game. “I’m looking to leave Pauley with a sense of community knowing that no matter red or blue, everyone’s a part of this.”

And for Jennifer Levi, the match honoring her son is not only a reminder to everyone attending to live by Braun Levi’s pillars, it’s a chance to grow his legacy, love the person he was and remember the movement that is being created.

“It’s keeping his legacy alive, and it’s keeping the Live Like Braun movement going and growing, and that is to lead with kindness, to be inclusive, to love, to be courageous and take chances,” Jennifer Levi said. “Everyday moments mean so much more than what you think. This match is really important because it’s keeping that inspiration alive and keeping his legacy alive, and it’s allowing us to say his name and love him in another way.”