Eisenhower’s Tessa Carson enters the season looking to build on a strong junior campaign. Last season, she earned ACTVL honorable mention honors and finished with 131 kills and 78 blocks.
While those numbers provide a foundation for her senior season, Carson’s focus is on becoming a more complete and aggressive player.
“One area I really wanted to improve was my ability to handle ‘bad balls’ and put myself in a better position to attack,” Carson said. “I wanted to become more aggressive and find ways to turn difficult situations into opportunities to swing.”
Carson spent much of the offseason working toward that goal. From November through late April, she played competitive travel volleyball with Showtime, practicing three times a week while also attending individual lessons.
During the summer, Carson participated in Eisenhower volleyball conditioning and summer tournaments. She also lifted on her own and looked for additional opportunities to get volleyball repetitions.
“I wanted to make sure I was continuing to build strength and stay consistent with my volleyball skills heading into the season,” Carson said.
Those extra repetitions were especially important as Carson worked on adjusting to difficult situations on the court. Through club practices, individual lessons and additional work on her own, she focused on becoming more comfortable turning imperfect plays into opportunities to attack.
“My goal was to become more comfortable making adjustments and finding a way to get myself into a position where I can be aggressive offensively, even when the play doesn’t go exactly as planned,” Carson said.
Now, with her final season ahead, Carson’s individual goal is straightforward: give everything she has.
Carson does not plan to continue playing volleyball in college or club after high school, making every match with the Tigers especially meaningful.
“My biggest individual goal this season is to leave it all on the court,” Carson said. “I want to walk away from every game knowing that I gave everything I had and was aggressive and engaged throughout the entire match.”
For Carson, success will not necessarily be measured by what appears in the box score.
“For me, success this year is not just about a number on the stat sheet, but knowing that I competed as hard as I could and gave my teammates everything I had,” Carson said.
As Eisenhower replaces several players from last year’s team, Carson also understands the importance of leadership. The Tigers graduated several players, leaving new players with opportunities to take on larger roles.
“We also have several girls experiencing their first varsity season, and I’m excited to see how they step up and rise to the occasion,” Carson said.
Carson hopes the Tigers can develop into a team that remains competitive and focused from the opening serve to the final point.
“I want us to be a steady, intense, and relentless group,” Carson said. “I want us to be a team that never lets up, regardless of the score or situation.”
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