Girls athlete of the week
The Post-Gazette’s top female performer from the past seven days
This past week: Serra Catholic, ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class 1A volleyball, opened the season Saturday by winning the 12-team Butler Spikefest tournament. The Eagles beat Butler and Shaler, a pair of Class 4A schools, in the playoffs. Trahan led the Eagles with 78 assists, 8 aces, 14 kills and 43 digs.
Check this out: Trahan, a 5-foot-5 setter, is a four-year starter for the Eagles. She is a two-time WPIAL Class 1A all- star, second team in 2021 and first team in 2022. Her career statistics read: 1,647 assists, 156 serving aces and 337 digs. Trahan and her younger sister, Cassidy, a 5-foot-7 junior, are daughters of Serra coach Keith Trahan. Serra made it to the WPIAL title match last year before losing to Frazier.
Tell us what it’s like to play for your dad. Sometimes we disagree but not very often. In most cases, we kind of read each other’s mind.
Give us your thoughts on Saturday’s tournament. It was our first competition of the season. I was a little nervous going in as we were facing high-level teams and players, but I had a good feeling that we would play well. Playing in such a strong tournament will help prepare us for the season.
Give us some thoughts on playing in last year’s WPIAL Class 1A title match. I had confidence going into the match but got really nervous toward the middle of the match. We had never played in a big match like that before, and it stressed us out. Losing to Frazier gives us a lot of incentive going into this season. Our goal is to get back to the finals and win this year.
Do you have plans to continue your volleyball career in college? I really like volleyball, but I want take the next step to getting my life started. I want to focus on my future career. I’m not sure yet, but I would like to be either a chiropractor or a dermatologist.
Is there an athlete you look up to as a role model? I don’t really watch sports much, so there is no college or pro player that I look up to. But I do look up to my sister as a role model. She works so hard to be the best player she can. I get to see that every day.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you? When I was 5 years old, I had Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a virus that left me paralyzed for a month. I had to re-learn everything. I feel fortunate because it could have lasted a lot longer. The doctors told me that it was fortunate that I was into gymnastics at the time because my body was strong. That allowed me to heal quicker.