John Raffel
Sports Scene
Sam Willman is getting the job done, again, for Breckenridge’s volleyball team.
The Breckenridge senior is in her third year of varsity volleyball. She came into this season with impressive credentials, earning all-conference honors a year ago.
“I felt that we had a strong season last year. We all played together really well,” she said. “There was definitely always room for improvement.”
Willman was a middle hitter last season and is moving to the outside this season.
“I like the outside better,” she said. “It doesn’t give you a chance to block as much, but I still like it better. I have more room to hit the ball and more areas of support. I feel like I’m hitting it harder this season, because there is more room to hit. I have more area of the court.”
As the season progresses, Willman is trying to get better at her passing.
“As an outside, I play with the back row,” she said. “As a middle, I never played the back row; we just had a libero come in. I need to get better at it, because I need to pass the ball.”
The team “is doing well,” Willman said. “We struggled a little at first, but really picked it up in our last tournament. We’re looking pretty good right now.”
The Huskies, Willman indicated, are looking to do well in the TVC.
“It’s pretty tough, and we face some teams that are really good,” she said. “We made it to the district finals last year; that’s another goal [to win it].”
In 29 games, Willman had 84 kills, 23 service aces, three blocks, 71 digs, and 76 passes.
Amanda Willman, Breckenridge’s coach, is also Sam’s mother.
“She had 40 kills in one weekend,” Coach Willman said. “She was a strong hitter last year. She didn’t have enough room to swing. Now she can put the ball down. It’s made a big difference.”