Senior captain Stella Wilk stands at the back of the court as the sea of purple screams her name. She braces herself, kneels, and prepares to serve the ball.

  Wilk has been playing varsity volleyball for 3 years as an outside hitter, scoring many points for the team. She originally began playing on the eight grade volleyball team when she found her love for the sport and continued on to play redrock club before joining the high school team.

  “[In] my first club tryouts, I really saw the competitive aspect of [volleyball]. Before, it was kind of rec league,” Wilk said. “Just seeing how competitive it could get really just inspired me.”

  Wilk said she was heavily influenced by former team leaders with great energy and skill such as 2024 graduate Izzy Grimmer.

  “[Former leaders] definitely inspired me now to take on their roles,” Wilk said.

  Last year, the team had very low energy. This year the team is coming in very strong and is working very well together.

  Captain junior Charli Panico said that Wilk has been performing very strongly.

  “[Wilk]’s really strong, she shows a lot of energy, and she shows up for our team,” Panico said. “She’s always there and always has good words to put in.”

  Panico said that on top of being an excellent player and high point scorer, Wilk is a great leader.

  “[Wilk] uses communication a lot, not only within the court but also within our groupchat,” Panico said. “She’s definitely a really, really good player and a great addition to our team. This is her third year on varsity. It is very much deserving that she is captain.”