Watching her sister on the volleyball court, Maggie Mance (12) was inspired to play so she could be just like her sister.
“I started volleyball when I was 11 because of my sister. She played at the high school, and for a club called Ignite and I liked the atmosphere there. I wanted to play [for] ignite and be like her,” Mance said.
Mance is now a defensive specialist for the high school Varsity team. Playing on the team can come with many challenges and struggles. A big challenge for Mance is the mental aspect.
“[It can be hard] keeping a positive mindset and not getting in your head when you’re not doing the best that you think you should be. It’s a very competitive atmosphere. Trying to get a spot on the team is very difficult. You have to work your butt off all the time to get noticed,” Mance said.
Even with these struggles, Mance is still able to play her best with the team. The team plays against other schools that are more of a challenge for them.
“We go to Indy a lot. We play very well, but the teams are really good. It’s fun competing against them because they are extremely high-level,” Mance said.
Although this will be her final year playing, Mance has made many great memories with her team. She has also learned many valuable life lessons from volleyball.
“My favorite memory is going to nationals with my club team. We got fifth place and we went to Las Vegas. It’s fun because you sleep in a hotel with your team. You have team dinners and just get to hang out with them. You get really close. The life lesson I will take from volleyball is my work ethic. I will always work hard in things that I want to do and try to stay positive in things that are difficult,” Mance said.
Outside of volleyball, Mance interns at Taft Middle School. She wants to become a middle school math teacher. She plans on going to Purdue to pursue this.
“I love middle school, and I love math. I think middle schoolers are funny. I want to go to Purdue because it’s close to home,” Mance said.
After years of volleyball and making memories, Mance is able to look onward to the future.
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