As a basketball player for the last five years, senior Courtney Franz made the tough decision to switch to volleyball for her final year of high school. Although she remained doubtful as to whether she would have regrets, she took a risk that allowed her to have one of the best team experiences of her life.

Prior to last year, Franz had not even contemplated joining the volleyball team. However, the influence of her dad helped her try something she wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

“Last year, my dad made me try out for the volleyball team,” Franz said. “I was really against it because I had no interest in the sport. However, he thought that I would be good at it so I decided to take the chance. Once I joined the team, I began to see the unity that came along with it, and from there I started to like the sport more.”

As a new player, this being her second season on the team, Franz often felt inferior to her teammates because of their experience and skill. Despite these feelings, she chose to continue playing volleyball.

“Although I have practiced hitting with my sister [Lindsay, ’09] occasionally over the years, I still felt really behind when I first joined the team,” Franz said. “Some of the other girls can play smarter than me because they’ve seen more games and their skills are more developed. Sometimes I get frustrated because I’m not the best hitter or the smartest player. ”

Whenever she feels an inkling of dissatisfaction, Franz says she looks up to Lindsay as a model for perseverance because of her dedication to sports, despite setbacks.

“I really look up to my sister because she has been playing volleyball for so long,” Franz said. “She’s had three knee surgeries but she doesn’t let that stop her from doing what she loves. Although she often got behind and even had to sit out her entire junior year, she never let that discourage her.”

Franz says she remains thankful for the opportunity to transition into a new sport and still have the chance to play. She says smaller schools allow more opportunity for kids to participate in athletic programs because of the amount of students.

“I would encourage students to try new sports because here, at a small school, we have the opportunity,” Franz said. “Even if you’re a brand new player or not the best, the unity that comes with being a part of a team makes it worthwhile. You get to know people well and just have fun with it. If I didn’t go to this school, I would be at a public school and I wouldn’t be able to play sports like I love to do.”

While many athletes begin perfecting their favorite sport when they are young, Franz recognizes the benefit of learning volleyball techniques at her age.

“The one good thing is that a lot of little kids are taught wrong when they are little,” Franz said. “So, unlike some other girls, I didn’t have any bad habits that were difficult to change or strange techniques to learn. I’ve improved a lot since last season, but I still have much more to learn.”

Teammate Jessa Searles, ’10, recognizes Franz’s work ethic as she transitions from basketball to volleyball as her main sport.

“Courtney has a great spirit and she works hard,” Searles said. “She’s not afraid to ask questions about what she is doing wrong in order to improve. Courtney also has an infectious scream that she uses every time our team does something good. It’s really funny because our whole team knows it as her signiture noise and no one has the ability to mimic it.”

According to head volleyball coach David Tatum, new players often help to remind their team about the basic fundamentals of the sport because the team has to teach that new player how to play.

“Anybody who is athletic can cross over and pick up other sports later on,” said Tatum. “Obviously, the earlier they start, the more experience they will have and possibly the better they will be. However, their altheltic ability plus their experience will determine how well they progress for the most part.”

Although Franz says she is not the best player on the team, she strives to work hard and lift her teammates up.

“Courtney’s best asset as a player is her heart for the team, lifting others up and bringing them closer together,” Tatum said. “She always has a positive and joyful attitude that is infectious and helps the team have fun.”

This season, Franz aims to continue to grow in relationships with new friends as well and learn to perservere even when things become difficult.

“I’ve made a lot of new friends and learned how to improve even though I’m more inexperienced compared to the other girls,” Franz said. “I also learned how to set my pride aside and listen to other teammates knowing that I’m not an expert at volleyball.”

“This season has definitely been one of the greatest team experiences of my life because we are very unified