Everybody has a sport that they love. From Soccer, Cheer, Baseball, Football, and even Volleyball. Freshman Riley Johnson has been playing volleyball since she was 10 and hasn’t gone back since. Riley has tried other sports, but none of them compare to volleyball and how she feels when she plays. “Volleyball is the only sport I’ve wanted to stick to. I always feel so excited to get on the court and start playing.”
Riley is an outside hitter but hasn’t always been one. She has also tried other positions such as right side hitter and middle. When she was playing on the Wayne Hills Freshman team she was an outside.
Volleyball at Wayne Hills is a fall sport. Players normally take the offseason and put in a lot of work in order to put in all of the effort and strength they can at tryouts. When it’s offseason, Riley is constantly practicing. Whether she is playing on a court and club or even at her house wherever the volleyball goes she goes. “Practicing during the off-season is very important because it sets the tone for the upcoming season.”
On the Wayne Hills freshman Volleyball team, Riley was also captain. She was in charge of giving teammates pep talks before big games and made sure her teammates felt that they were in a more relaxed environment, even during a game that was neck and neck. Of course, failure is a part of life and not everyone wins. No matter what, Riley was still honored and happy to be on the team but also be captain. “Volleyball is a very mental sport. It is very easy for people to get to your head. That’s why it’s so important to have someone who can help out in those situations.”
There are 12 people on the team. One of them is Tia Moussalieh, a freshman at Wayne Hills High School and also a close friend of Riley’s. This year both Riley and Tia made the freshman team. They both got a chance to play on the court together. Not to mention that they had a blast with their team.
“I loved how our volleyball team was very family-like and how we were all friendly and also had a lot of trust in each other,” Said Tia.
Although at times the court got stressful, the score was tied, or it was a quiet bus ride, Riley has been with volleyball through failures and successes which is how she is a great player now. Her and Tia both had fun working together this season and wish to do the same next season. Although the season has ended, Riley’s work definitely hasn’t. She continues to play club and she also practices. I guess we can say it’s not goodbye, it’s see you later!