The relationships Valley Center’s Elena Alvarez have formed have become a major reason Alvarez enjoys volleyball, and she is looking forward to creating more memories with her teammates throughout the season. In particular, she is excited for the tournaments and the opportunity to see what the Hornets can accomplish together.
“I’m excited to see what we can accomplish as a team and hope that we can compete well in every game,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez spent the offseason taking a well-rounded approach to her athletic development. She went to the gym, lifted weights and ran while preparing for volleyball, softball and javelin.
For volleyball specifically, Alvarez focused on plyometrics to improve her explosiveness and running to build her endurance.
“I have taken a more well-rounded approach because I want to improve in all of my sports, including volleyball, softball and javelin,” Alvarez said.
One of Alvarez’s biggest areas of focus entering the season is improving her serve receive and defense. She worked on passing drills during the offseason and believes the extra work has helped her become more consistent.
Her experience during club season also provided valuable opportunities to develop those skills. Alvarez played back row, giving her additional time to work on both serve receive and defense.
“I hope the experience I gained during club carries over into the school season and helps me continue to improve in these areas,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez enters the season with several individual goals, including maintaining a .200 hitting percentage, becoming a stronger leader on the court and consistently bringing positive energy to her team.
She enters the season with confidence after hitting around .250 during the 2026 club season.
“I believe these goals are very achievable, especially since I maintained around a .250 hitting percentage during the 2026 club season,” Alvarez said.
Last season, Alvarez recorded a 1.97 serve rating and a 1.65 serve receive rating. She also finished with 118 kills, 13 blocks, 135 digs and 36 assists while setting in only a few matches.
Now, Alvarez hopes to use that experience to help Valley Center take the next step as a team.
One of her primary goals is for the Hornets to finish in the top three in the league and win sub-state. Valley Center had similar goals last season but did not finish in the top three.
“This year, I want to improve on that and help my team reach those goals,” Alvarez said.
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