Game Stats:
September 6th,Renton, Win 3-0
September 8th, Lindbergh, Win 3-0
September 11th, Liberty, Loss 0-3
September 14th, Garfield, Loss 1-3
September 18th, Juanita, Win 3-1
September 20th, Lake Washington, Loss 0-3
September 26th, Mercer Island, Loss 0-3
September 27th, Interlake, Win 3-2
From the varsity squad we found multiple dedicated girls who had volleyball at the center of their life. Marilynn Mills, a senior who is a defensive specialist, has been playing volleyball for “about six years.” She has played club for “four years” and volleyball has been everything to her for a major part of her life, the sport makes her “strive to be the best version of [herself] on and off the court.” When we asked her she stated that she continued to play volleyball “for the overall strive, excitement, drive, motivation, and most importantly the lifelong friendships.”
Another player who has secured their spot on varsity is Sienna German. As a junior, who normally plays the position middle hitter, she tries her hardest to always be on her a-game. She’s been in the sport since she “was around 10 years old” and “used to play for Kraken” but no longer plays for a club. Volleyball has a firm place in her life, her “teammates are important” and she “loves the sport.” She enjoys “killing the ball herself” along with watching her “other teammates get kills and sets.”
Tournament Time:
This year Hazen High School entered a tournament based in Spokane. These tournaments put teams head to head, all day long. From games starting at 8:00 a.m. to the last games being played at 7:30 p.m. The varsity girls played from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, coming out with three wins and two losses. Overall they secured fifth place, out of more than twenty teams. Volleyball is a sport in which points are based on the other team’s mistakes, and when it comes to games like these, the number of mistakes you make are crucial to whether you will be advancing, or heading home. Three sets, six girls, one court, it’s a race to the first person to hit 25 points.
Junior Varsity:
Game Stats:
September 7th, Renton Win 2-0
September 8th, Lindbergh, Win 3-0
September 12th, Liberty, Loss 0-3
September 14th, Garfield, Win 3-0
September 18th, Juanita, Loss 0-3
September 20th, Lake Washington, Loss 0-3
September 27th, Mercer Island, Loss 1-2
September 28th, Interlake, Win 2-1
Hazen has more teams than just varsity, and when we look at these teams we can find strong leaders ready to carry their teams to victory. The junior varsity captain, Erika Mills, who is a sophomore and specializes in the libero position has been playing volleyball for “around four or five years.” She plays for the second regional team for NPJ, and played club before she came to play school. Erika continues to play because she “loves the sport and it’s something fun to do” whilst teaching her good life skills. To Erika volleyball is extremely important and has a very prominent role in her life. She stated that “even some of my friends would say they have to compete with my love of volleyball sometimes.” She loves “the mental aspect” during the game, specifically staying out of her head and focusing on the game.
Multiple Mistakes:
When you’re on the court, there are a multitude of mistakes you could make. Every player has their own opinion about what mistakes are the most devastating to make on the court. Marilynn Mills, a varsity senior, thinks that the worst mistake is “getting in your head about mistakes” or “free-balling the ball right into the net on the third touch.” Sienna German, another varsity player thinks that “blocking a serve” is the worst mistake you can make, because sometimes it comes over the net and all you want to do is just put a hand up there and don’t let it come over” but that is not allowed. Every team makes mistakes, not just varsity and Erika Mills, a sophomore on junior varsity, thinks that one of the biggest mistakes you could make is missing a pass on the serve receive after the server has served. And Karemelu Ioane on the C-team thinks that one of the worst mistakes she can make on the court is when a ball is right in front of her and she is unable to pick up the ball. Every person has their own opinion about the worst mistakes you can make, because everyone has a different position to play. But the most important thing is to not get in your head about these mistakes, because the more mistakes the more difficult it is to win.
C-Team
Game Stats:
September 20th, Lake Washington, Loss 1-2
September 8th, Lindbergh, Win 3-0
September 12th, Liberty, Win 3-0
September 14th, Garfield, Win 3-0
September 18th, Juanita, Loss 1-2
September 27th, Mercer Island, Win 2-1
September 28th, Interlake, Win 3-0
The C-team has had an incredible season, dominating most games and being able to come out on top. Karamelu Ioane, a freshmen DS is one of the players who has helped her team advance and be the best they possibly can be. She has been playing volleyball “since eighth grade” and continues to play because she truly enjoys the sport; she says that “it’s always been interesting” to her. She loves to play with her team, and the sport is one of the biggest things in her life.
