Even after four years, the silence that follows the serving whistle always turns my sweat cold. Feeling the volleyball in my hands, I start my ritual: a deep breath to silence my head, exactly three bounces with my palm, and finally, a toss.
See this video.
Fast forward to my junior year, I became the starting libero on varsity. As the defense specialist, I was not only responsible for coordinating the team’s defense, but for keeping morale up as well. There was no room for self-doubt. That season, we went undefeated in Division II, until we hit a brick wall against Galileo High School in the playoffs. We lost 0-3. What initially felt like a winnable game had put an abrupt end to our season.
Following that loss I was struck with the news of our head coach’s relocation to another high school due to budget cuts. As a player, I was afraid to lose the sport that had become a pillar of my life, and as Co-Captain, I felt immense pressure to make sure the sport could stay alive for other athletes.
In the beginning of senior year, those challenges materialized: our coach could only arrive an hour after school ended, and our former assistant coach was too busy to help. In addition, advancing to Division I set high standards for us, but with half the starting team graduated, only four players remained.
I knew organizing would be challenging without a coach on campus. Regardless, when pre-season rolled around in January, I tucked all my worries away and got to work. I trained new recruits, and constantly met with school admin to make practices possible.
It felt like we were always on the fly; we never had full assurance that an adult was available to supervise us, but having patient, flexible teammates made leading the team much less stressful.
As the season comes to an end, I am incredibly grateful for security guards Ofi and Reed, who stepped in to supervise practices while our coach commuted, and track coaches Quesada and Tony, who took us in like stray dogs whenever we did conditioning.
Although our only win was against Galileo High School, I will forever remember this season as a significant personal accomplishment. Because, beyond just being my first sport, volleyball represents my journey of self-confidence. From sitting on the sidelines during sports to navigating having an off-campus coach as team captain, beating Galileo represents the self-assurance I’ve accumulated each season.
If there’s anything I learned from joining the volleyball team, it’s that growth happens best when you make yourself vulnerable to embarrassment. To anyone unable to imagine themselves as an athlete, I urge you to challenge yourself and try a team sport. Moving forward, when I try out for my college’s club volleyball team, I’ll remind myself to carry on this confidence, the same assurance I trust myself with when I toss that ball for a topspin serve.
Check out this video from the MHS vs. Galileo game.
