My Passion for Volleyball

I have talked about volleyball before, but I have never given the full story of my extensive past with the sport. I was born with volleyball in my blood; my mom, two of my aunts and my cousin all played volleyball in high school. At family events, we always seemed to find a way to get a volleyball in our hands and play for awhile. My cousin, Olivia, is four years older than me, so I always looked up to her when I was playing and wanted to be just like her. She gave me tips on how to improve skills I had not developed yet since I was so young. Being exposed to the sport at such a young age, I have wanted to play for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, my mom placed me in multiple beginner-level camps in order to expose me to the sport in a more serious manner. I was the most awkward player on the court because I didn’t really know what position I was made to play and was often bouncing between different courts developing all my skills. Even with my early start, I was still behind and felt like I was constantly working to make up the time I had lost. In the beginning, I often found myself comparing myself to the better girls at the camps and was jealous of their perfected skills, which made me work even harder.

Once I got to junior high, there was no doubt in my mind I was not only ready to play for a real team, but also lead that team. When I made the team, I was ready to put all my time and effort into it in order to claim a leadership position, which I got for both years of junior high. After my eighth grade season, I wanted to be serious about my passion for volleyball

and tried out for multiple travel teams in my area. I ended up making a club team called the Champaign County Sharks, which was about 45 minutes from my house. Although the drive was a long one, it was worth it for every practice because I knew I had found a place where my skills could be pushed to their limits. I ended up playing at the Sharks all four years I played travel volleyball, and although it was difficult at times, I always found a way to be optimistic about my situations. I was captain for all four of my teams (sorry for bragging, but I’m proud of this fact) and found new ways to lead a team to victory. I was not always on the winningest teams and didn’t have the best coaches along the way, but my passion never waivered. Without playing on travel teams for four years, I would not be even close to player I have become today. Each season was a build up to the following season for my high school, because my high school is the team I felt most committed to. That is, until my senior year, when my world was rocked.

Ever since my first season of club volleyball, I have loved hitting in the front row. I am considered short in the volleyball world, yet I could still jump to the height of some of the taller girls, which drove me to work hard. I felt as though I was proving everyone wrong and at times, even proving myself wrong when I doubted my skills. On most of my teams, I ended up playing all the way around because I was also good at passing in the back row. I never really had to worry about my position changing because even though I was not the MVP of the team, I was the most consistent player. So, once I hit my last season of high school, I thought it was a given I would be the outside hitter starting in the front row. I went through the whole summer focusing on that position and ignoring the needs of my team. 

The year before, our star libero graduated and we were worried about who would fill this position. I never thought it would be me because as I said, although I could play back row, I never considered myself being in a permanent position like that. A few weeks into the season, my coach pulled me aside

at practice and told me I needed to retire hitting and focus on my passing for the benefit of the team. As you can imagine, I was upset by this because of my passion for the position I held and all I was about to give up. The next few weeks were difficult for me because although I was succeeding in my new position, I felt like a part of me was missing out on the court. Finally, after wearing the new jersey for awhile and understanding what this meant to my teammates, I began to understand I needed this change for myself. Even through all my different seasons, my senior season was the most I have ever learned about myself as a player and person. Although that season was pretty even for winning and losing, I have never felt so close to a team or coach because I knew I had people who were looking out for me to make me a better, which I have carried with me into my college team. 

Coming to Ohio Northern, I knew I wanted to join the club volleyball team because I was not done with the sport. Since then, I have made some great friends and had the chance to continue my passion without the level of commitment I was used to in high school.Being on a team in college, I know my years of volleyball are coming to an end, but I am enjoying

every game along the way. Thanks to the experiences and opportunities I have had with volleyball, I have become a person I never thought I would become and will use the lessons I will continue to learn to better myself in the future.