Personal Statement
About me: I live in the Lake Tahoe area with my parents, 2 German Shepherds, 2 cats, and my sister is graduating from Cal Poly this year. I love the outdoors, and feel so fortunate to live in such a beautiful area. I attended a Spanish Immersion program K-8, and am very comfortable speaking, reading and learning in Spanish. I am a former downhill ski racer, swimmer, and club soccer player. I have played some tennis since my mom played in college, which has helped me see the openings on the court and play aggressively. Also, I think my speed and court sense comes in part from playing midfield in soccer. I transitioned to volleyball from club soccer after breaking my leg in the summer before 8th grade. I couldn’t run for 6 months, missed the Fall soccer season, and, wasn’t cleared to run until a month after vb tryouts in December. I worked very hard to rehab after losing most of my leg strength from muscle wasting. Volleyball training brought me back to high level sports, and I do a lot of additional conditioning outside of practice to increase my speed, agility and vertical.
I am the top setter on my 17-1’s team, but play setter like a Libero and get a lot of balls up to keep my team in points. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to train with my coach, a former top USSR setter, Sasha Gutor. I have good court sense, can hit from both the front and back court, and I am very comfortable running the court, offensively and defensively. Currently, I am running a 6-2, but have most often run a 5-1 and prefer a 5-1 because I can better control the offense by keeping the ball in play with digs and defense. See 5-1 in AAU 2018 Championships Video, 2019 West Coast Cup vs Dakine Warriors, and 2018 Far Westerns vs 650 Extreme on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw-Mv5UjPdOAqhzisGH-kUxBnt2X2iVWH
In 2018, I was recognized as First Team All State for my high school, and also received the award for Defensive Player of the Year for the league. I think my speed and all-court play allows my team to stay in the point and have extra chances to win the rally. I look to create calm from surrounding chaos.
I am a very coachable, team-first player and work hard to lead by my example, and foster a positive team energy. I love to compete, and play my best in competition. I am hoping to blend academics with volleyball, and am doing my best now to prepare both academically and athletically.
