A new season brings a new group of teammates for Andover Central senior Avery Unruh, but her excitement for volleyball remains the same.
After losing several seniors from last season, Unruh is looking forward to seeing how the Jaguars come together while continuing to play alongside friends and build new relationships with younger teammates.
“I am really excited to see how our team looks this year,” Unruh said. “We lost some seniors so I am looking forward to having new teammates. I am also excited to play with my friends again. I love playing volleyball so much and getting to do it with my friends is truly a blessing.”
Unruh and her teammates have spent much of the offseason preparing for the upcoming season. The Jaguars participated in weight training throughout the summer and held volleyball open gyms, giving the team an opportunity to build chemistry before the start of the season.
“It makes the season go so much easier when you already trust your teammates and know that they are going to show up for you,” Unruh said.
Unruh also attended open gyms with her club team during the summer, allowing her to continue developing her skills and get additional touches on the ball.
One of her primary focuses this offseason was becoming a more effective hitter. Unruh spent time working on her arm and shoulder strength with the goal of increasing her power and becoming more consistent offensively.
“I want to improve on being a better hitter and a better leader,” Unruh said. “For hitting I did a lot of arm and shoulder strength exercises this summer to increase my power. Even with going through tryouts I feel better already.”
Leadership is another area where Unruh wants to continue growing. She served as the Jaguars’ team captain last season and wants to use that experience to help guide a new group of players.
“For being a leader I believe that I can always improve on leading and being a role model for the younger girls,” Unruh said. “I have read some leadership books and took on leadership roles in my school and with my club team.”
Unruh’s experience as a captain last season gave her an opportunity to serve as a link between her teammates and coaches while helping players through challenges.
“Last year I was the team captain, which I am so grateful that the team chose me to lead them,” Unruh said. “I was able to be a connection between the coaches and players, but also help my teammates if they were struggling.”
This season, Unruh has set an individual goal of becoming a more consistent hitter and increasing her number of kills.
“Last year I did alright, but I would like to be more consistent and get more kills,” Unruh said.
As a team, the Jaguars have their sights set on reaching the state tournament. While Unruh acknowledges that making state is a familiar goal, she believes this year’s team has the potential to make that goal a reality.
“I feel like that is the goal every year but this group of girls that we have makes it seem a lot more possible,” Unruh said.
For Unruh, however, success will not be measured solely by wins, kills or postseason accomplishments. She wants to see every member of the team grow, both on and off the court.
“I also just want everyone to improve in their own way,” Unruh said. “For some people that looks like getting better at volleyball, but for others who don’t plan on playing volleyball in college I want them to improve as human beings.”
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