This year’s Varsity volleyball team has brought on freshmen Presley Sweeney, Alena Rozewiski and Katherine Hatfield to expand both the team’s size and its skill level, and thanks to Head Coach Trina Christensen the team has become more goal-oriented and focused on its hopes to make it to State.

The team has had its fair share of victories and losses this season. Following its first three wins against Juanita, Sammamish, and Hazen, the team had a string of defeats, most notably against Mercer Island, who sophomore Shelby Chapman described as one of the team’s main rivals.

But despite any disappointments they might have faced, the Patriots did not let themselves lose focus. Currently standing at third place in the KingCo 3A/2A Standings, the team is very much in the race for State.

“We are more focused on the game than our opponents and outside pressures,” sophomore Shelby Chapman said.
A crucial aspect of the team’s success are the bonds formed by the freshmen and upperclassmen, which allow the freshmen to feel welcome in their first year playing Varsity.

“I really like the freshmen. Each of them adds something different: Presley adds her jokes and lets us cornrow her hair before games, Elena adds her quirkiness and is fun to be around, and Katherine is just funny,” senior Shea O’Brien said.
Christensen doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the age of her players and their playing time. She has the freshmen serve first in most games, and with State approaching, she has been pushing her players to make them better and better.

The freshmen may have impressive skills, but that doesn’t eliminate their fears of going into their first State competition with other players who have done so many times before.

The young players certainly do not lack in experienced role models to look up to. O’Brien leads KingCo in kills with 150, and junior Kenna Hanses follows close behind in third place.

“I am nervous about our final games because the teams I will be playing have kids two, three, four years older than me, so they are taller, faster, bigger and stronger than I am,” freshman Presley Sweeney said. “Every game I play, I am nervous because they have more experience with competition and playing the game, so it has been nerve wracking. I have just been doing my best and seeing how it goes.”

One thing is certain: with the combination of talented upperclassmen and the new freshman additions, Liberty volleyball is sure to be a threat in the post-season.