Everyone has a passion, a thing that keeps them going everyday. That one thing that helps you endure the early mornings, schoolwork, and drama. For some, it's getting lost in a good book. Others find their comfort in driving down a long country road. For many, it's sports; For me, it's volleyball.

People ask me when I started playing the sport I love, and I really don't know. I look back and see years of community programs to get me involved and assume that's where it started. But when I think of it, I decide that it began with a love in something else: competition. Why am I so competitive? Four older brothers, that's why. Being the youngest of six, it's hard to go through life without fighting for one thing or another, whether it be tricking each other to get a certain kind of popsicle or climbing on top of the others in order to sit shotgun. Beyond my love for a good competition, my love for sports was entered into me through my two brothers, Mitch and Brad. Each one in their own way pulled me away from the dolls and dresses and towards the ball and the court. Each sport was fun and exciting, but nothing compared to the rush I felt when I found volleyball.

When I first started playing, it was bump, set, spike. Nothing more, nothing less. Once I practiced and learned more, I realized that is not it. It's run, dive, pass, call, yell, set, jump, sweat, hit… team. That's one of the reasons I love it so much. My team is a second family. Even if we don't get along outside of the gym, when we step on the court, we have each other's backs, no matter our differences. When we step on the court, no one cares what shirt you wore to school that day or what grade you got on a test, it's purely volleyball.

So why am I so focused on volleyball? Why do I endure the long hours of practices, exhausting games and tournaments, as well as floor burns and injuries? Because I love it. I finally found something that I can lose myself in and become a whole different person. Everyone has a passion, and everyone's passion is different. Some people have to think when asked what their's is. But for me, the answer is clear, simple, and immediate: Volleyball.