Senior Brittany Zarda, a defense specialist and team captain for volleyball, has been on the varsity team for all four years and first became involved in the sport through her family.

“I’ve been playing since I was seven, so for about 10 years. My aunt coached a club team and she got me into it,” Zarda said. “My whole family pretty much plays volleyball.”

Having been on the team since freshman year, Zarda had a unique experience a lot of players don’t get to have.

“I loved it because I got to meet so many more people, especially many upperclassmen,” Zarda said. “It was really special that freshman year.”

The closeness of Zarda’s teammates has made high school volleyball more enjoyable for her.

”Our team may not all hang out outside of volleyball, but once we get together and we’re in volleyball we’re like a family,” Zarda said.

Zarda has made some strong friendships through volleyball, especially with fellow senior libero Sierra Miles.

“I think [playing volleyball] made Sierra and I closer because when we were younger we played on the same club team,” Zarda said. “It started off our friendship, and we’ve been friends ever since then.”

Some of Zarda’s best memories with the team have been during tournaments.

“This year at the Baldwin tournament we went undefeated until the championships against Gardner,” Zarda said. “We never really let up until the Gardner game.”

On the other hand, Zarda has also had some sillier memories with volleyball.

“One time[sophomore] Abby Ford got hit in the face with a volleyball and she had a bloody nose. She went to the bathroom and came back and had tissue up her nostril,” Zarda said. “It was hilarious.”

One aspect of Zarda’s playing that makes her stand out as an athlete is her ability to keep calm in stressful game situations.

“I feel like I’m a good team player because I don’t get as emotional,” Zarda said “I don’t get mad at my teammates during games.”

As captain, Zarda has stepped forward as a responsible teammate this year.

“It’s a lot of responsibility because I have to constantly tell everyone the colors for practice and what jerseys, and I’m just constantly reminding everyone,” Zarda said. “I have to keep everyone on the same page.”

By Kaitlin Rounds

Photo by Emily Johnson