Palo Alto Volleyball is performing superbly this year, due in part to their sophomore standout: Marissa Florant. She played junior varsity in 2006 and now has become a starting player on the varsity team.

“I don’t know what made me stand out at tryouts, but I tried my hardest to go to almost every open gym, I worked out and did the weight training at least twice a week,” sophomore Marissa Florant said.

Florant began her career in volleyball in 6th grade, while simultaneously playing soccer and basketball.

“At first my mom didn’t want me to play, because my sister had just started and she wanted volleyball to be her sport. But when my mom was away I went to one of the practices and they offered me a spot on the team. I’ve been playing ever since,” Florant said.

In a volleyball match there are three prominent positions for each team. There is the outside hitter, who is powerful and specializes in blocking, a setter who places the ball in the air (the set) and, lastly the libero, a defensive hitter that receives the attack (or serve.)

“Marissa plays outside and opposite hitter. It’s great because she is only a sophomore. She is a really great player and fits in well on the varsity team,” teammate Euna Oh said.

One way that high school athletes stay in shape in the off-season is through participation in club teams/sports. This is the case with volleyball as well as soccer and basketball. The Palo Alto Soccer Club and National Junior Basketball (NJB) are leagues open to all age groups in the Palo Alto School District.

“Club team starts in November, which I will be participating in this coming season. During the school year, club practices are twice-a-week and they can stretch from two to three hours,” Florant said.

To get playing time on the Varsity team, in any sport, requires both experience and talent. What Marissa seems to be lacking in experience at the Varsity level, has been pushed aside by her great ball striking and practice over the summer break and on her club team.

“I had a great club season this past year, with I feel the two best coaches in the Bay Area and I improved a ton. In the beginning of the season and during tryouts, coach Dave told me to be ready to sit on the bench; that I wouldn’t be seeing a lot of playing time. I thought about just staying on JV and starting, but I wanted to continue improving for club. I wanted to play with my sister and so I took the spot that was offered to me,” Florant said.

The Paly vikes are currently (19-9) on the season with a (7-2) record in league play. The week of Oct. 21st is sure to be exciting with Paly hosting Gunn on the 23rd and Senior Night will be a treat as Palo Alto prepares to tackle Mountain View (3-6) in league standings.

“Marissa has really exceeded expectations in the jump from JV to Varsity. She should be a major asset in the next two years,” junior spectator Adam Zernik said.