Setter provides the glue for Orland
James tallying up the aces
ORLAND » At the start of each volleyball match, a player runs toward the service line and pinpoints the spot they wish to get the rally started. For Orland volleyball’s Zoey James, often times the junior’s serve ends in a point for the Trojans before the rally can even start.
James leads the Trojans, who have compiled a 22-2 record with just two matches remaining, in aces with 127 in 428 serves attempted. The next closest on her team is Hannah Martin’s 53. James’ ace tally got as high as second in California in recent weeks, and she now ranks fourth in the state, first amongst Division IV players in California and first in the Northern Section.
James said the key to her service game is her intense focus, trying to slow things down and not listening to the loud, cheering crowds.
“I kind of go into a zone,” James said.
Orland coach Miranda Coughlin said James is willing to put in the hours on the court and her
extra practice time she puts in has paid big dividends. She too notices when James goes into “a zone.”
“Zoey James is one of those players who never loses her composure. She is focused and leads by example on and off the court,” Coughlin said. “She is easy to coach and listens to advice and positive criticism. Plus, she’s a very intelligent player.”
After her serve, James does not remain complacent on the court. As the team’s leading setter, James ranks first on the Trojans in assists with 537 and fourth on the team in digs with 87. Her 537 assists rank second in the Northern Section behind only University Prep’s Morgan Wilding’s 789.
She was 89 assists ahead of Maritza Chavolla of Tulelake in third place leading into Tuesday’s match in Corning.
James began playing volleyball in eighth grade and said she has grown in her ability to take coaching in and apply it on the court. She has learned to help her teammates on the court and be more flexible in working with other people’s skillsets. She called herself the glue of the team when asked what she feels she brings most to the team.
“If one person’s upset I’m be able to bring them back up and stay with the team,” James said.
Coughlin, who has coached James since the start of her playing days in eighth grade, said the biggest difference she sees is James’ knowledge of the game. James watches opponents’
play, watches her opponents warm up and talks with coaches and hitters about how to attack and how to game plan.
“Being able to work with your team but also being able to self-reflect on yourself like what you can do better to help your team,” James said when asked about what defines her as a player. “Being able to take things in, being able to have good qualities in yourself and being able to stay on top of your studies is what makes you a student athlete.”
James said she is motivated by both her mother and her teammates. She said her mother is constantly pushing her to be better and is a person she looks up to.
Orland has a roster with five seniors on its team. James said that also help motivate her to get as far
into playoffs as possible.
With a roster of eight juniors, James is looking forward to her senior year as well and hopes her teammates can learn from the team’s success in 2021.
“I definitely feel like we can be like the team we are this year with the players that are going to be moving up,” James said. “We have a strong junior class. We can use what we have learned from this year and make ourselves better for next year. Wipe the slate clean and start new.”
To nominate an athlete from your school to be highlighted based on performance or why one makes a team special, coaches are being asked to email sports@chicoer.com by the end of the day Saturday for the chance for them to be selected the following week.