(October 17, 2012) — Freshman Jessica Shakian decided to play girls’ volleyball at Hoover High School for the soph/frosh team during the end of her middle school career. “When they talked to people persuading them to come, it hit me,” Shakian said. “This is the time I’m finishing middle school, high school is coming and it’s time to make it or break it.”

Volleyball takes up most of Shakian’s after school time. By the time she gets home from practice and washes up, it is 6:30 p.m. “It’s a big distraction, but being a part of volleyball is like having a second family, a second home,” Shakian said. Shakian plays setter, which puts a lot of pressure on her.

She said that the passer passes the ball to her and she sets it for the hitter, giving her a lot of responsibility during a game. “Basically, everything is on me. If I miss the set and the hitter misses it, it’s my fault; If I don’t get the set, it’s my fault; If I do a good set that means the hitter will get a good hit and then we’ll get a kill,” Shakian said.

When asked if she would want to be a professional volleyball player, she said, “If I could continue in college that would be really awesome, but then I need scholarships or scouts to come to my games, so I have to be really good.”