My Passion for Volleyball
I developed a passion for volleyball ever since I was young. I now play as a defensive specialist in the middle back position, usually also serving before going into defense. Something I’m strong at is my serves, which can get a couple of aces during games, as well as my digs to the hits of the other team, as I am quick to see the block and the opponent hitters hands. I am improving more on the serve receives of many different kinds of balls, such as float serves, top spins…
Volleyball definitely has taught me the values of teamwork, communications, and kindness. Working together as a team, being there to support each other, and communicating well between points is what brought our team together to what we are today. When a teammate is hurt, we do our best to make her feel included, carry her bag, order her Starbucks, and tell fun jokes to her. In volleyball, I feel the unbreakable bond of my team and I, and playing volleyball always manages to put a smile on my face.
Through my journey in volleyball, I have participated in many club teams starting in sixth grade, including Boston UVC, Lionheart, and attended many Smash volleyball camps. With my first team, we won the AAU Champions League Finals 2024, and consecutively placed silver in the New England Winterfest in 2025 with my second year’s club team.
This year, I’m honored to be a part of Dana Hall’s Varsity Volleyball team as the only eighth grader. At the start of the season, I felt worried because everyone else was older, and seemed so much more experienced than me. Therefore, one mispass would cause my confidence to hurtle downwards, and I wasn’t as loud on the courts than I usually am. But as the season went on, I realized that one bad dig doesn’t define who I am as a player, and now I am able to brush it off easily to get ready to pass another ball. I am also louder on the court, calling my seams before serve receive and better communicating with the other five players on the court. My varsity volleyball experience was truly wonderful, and my playing time has been increasing, starting from only serving in games to now serving and playing defense. Eventually, our team won against Philips Exeter for the first time in our volleyball history, won the EIL Championships, made it into the NEPSAC Class A quarter-finals, and had an amazing record of 24-2.
The support I get from my community in volleyball is truly heartwarming. During homecoming, all classmates and friends came to support my game, holding onto a huge poster board to cheer me on. As I went up to serve, the crowd went wild! Everyone was shouting my name, and the gym was echoing from the screams of my friends. When I felt depressed after losing the quarter-final game against Choate, all my classmates either texted to comfort me, or found me the next morning to say how amazing I played. Even my teachers came up to me to tell me that I don’t have to feel down and that our volleyball team made history even making it to the NEPSACS. Their voices and support are the back wall to my volleyball journey. Whenever I feel discouraged, I always look back at it and gain all my confidence back!