Confidence is very important in all sports.
Trust in an athlete's ability to perform is paramount when reaching for a tackle, diving to make a catch, or jumping to spike a volleyball.
For Olivia Quinn, it took time to develop that confidence on the Weedsport volleyball team after stepping up to the varsity level during her sophomore season.
“Becoming a confident player was something I struggled with for a long time,” she told The Citizen.
“Especially when I got promoted to the national team and was the youngest player there. I really looked up to the older players and I had to learn how to gain that confidence to be a leader on the team. I feel like I needed that confidence to become the player I am today because if I have confidence, I can play better.”
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Quinn, who had 15 kills in her second year, made a big leap in her junior season in 2022-2023. She had 74 kills, 32 aces and 24 blocks as the Wolverines finished 5-12. Eighteen of her kills came in a road win against DeRuyter, her one game in which she scored in double figures. However, she ends up improving her performance even further as she steps up to an even bigger role in her next season.
“I think (my confidence) really hit home when I was chosen as team captain,” she said.
“Others (like Weedsport varsity volleyball coach Eric Nicklow) realized that I needed to have confidence too,” she continued. “He understood that I needed to be a team leader and I was the right person.”
As the team's captain, Quinn's confidence grew and he showed it on the court. During her senior year, she recorded double-digit kills in three games, totaling 153 points (118 kills and 35 aces), and 25 blocks.
On the back of The Citizen's 2023-2024 Volleyball Player of the Year's career season, the Wolverines finished third in Division II of the Onondaga High School League with a 12-8 record, the highest in the past decade. Achieved the best results. Seven of those wins came without Weedsport's opponents winning a single set.
Additionally, this was the second time in the last 10 years that Weedsports finished the season with a record above .500.
The team is made up of eight seniors, and Quinn believes cohesion was the key to the Wolverines' success.
“I feel like we all had a really great bond,” she said. “There was no drama or anything like that. We were very determined and hardworking. I think we all meshed really well.”
In a sport where on-court development is the focus, building personal relationships can be undervalued. But one of Quinn's favorite parts of playing volleyball was the downtime between tournaments, when he was able to connect with his teammates in an environment that wasn't completely focused on volleyball.
Although Weedsport ultimately lost in the first round of the Section III, Class C tournament to Westmoreland, the 2023-2024 season was a step in the right direction for the program.
She encouraged players to embrace new faces in more prominent roles next season as the Wolverines look to build on what Quinn and others built last season.
“Please try to comfort the young students that are coming up because I think it makes them all feel more comfortable and confident in their position,” Quinn said.
“And part of being a good teammate is supporting your teammates when something happens.”
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Sports reporter Jacob Urish can be reached at jacob.urish@lee.net or (315) 282-2288.