Katie Gray
Age 16 School Imperial High School Grade 12
IMPERIAL — The Imperial High volleyball team had a busy schedule last week taking on two Imperial Valley League opponents as well as traveling to compete in the Mission Bay Tournament on Saturday.
The Tigers finished the week with an overall record of 3-3 and a third-place finish in the Mission Bay tourney.
Helping Imperial in the effort was senior captain and outside hitter Katie Gray.
The three-year varsity letter winner led the Tigers in the week tallying 35 kills, 33 digs, nine assists and 20 service points.
“My body was so sore,” Gray said with a laugh. “But I felt pretty good afterward. We all played together and even though we didn’t get as many wins as we would have liked, we played with heart and that felt good.”
The Tigers are currently 9-9 on the season and nearing the end of the first round of IVL action, with Gray growing more comfortable in her role as one of the team’s captains.
“It was definitely a huge step for me,” she said. “It was a big change because I’ve never really been a vocal player so it felt like a huge responsibility to go from being told what to do, to telling the younger players what to do.”
What do you enjoy most about your sport?
I enjoy getting together and working with my team and getting excited for the competition. It’s fun being on the court with them.
What is one of your more memorable moments in your sport?
I think every season has been memorable. Whenever we’ve traveled to tournaments and gotten to hang out, it’s always been so much fun. Some of my best volleyball memories are from those trips.
Who inspires you and why?
My dad inspires me. He’s always supported me and helped push me to want to be better. He even got certified to coach and that’s made me push to want to be the best volleyball player I can be.
What are your goals for the rest of this season?
To have the team work hard and play together. We start strong, but then we’ll lose it a little bit, so my goal is just to help the team stay up and finish strong on the court.