John Orrell
HOLDEN — After missing playoffs by an eyelash a season ago, the Wachusett Regional High girls varsity volleyball team is back and primed to forge a different outcome for this 2022 campaign.
One returning player who recalls the disappointment of coming up just short is outside hitter junior Claire Michalowski, who vows to see this squad be successful in the season that kicked off Aug. 31 with a matchup versus visiting Oxford High.
“It was a hard blow to take that we weren’t making the playoffs last year,” said Michalowski, who also holds a black belt in karate. “I don’t think any of us want to go through that again, so we’re going to show how much we can do this year. We have a whole bunch of really good players coming in, and I’m very excited and looking forward to the season.
“I really do enjoy being outside hitter, but also like the feeling of working with your team to win. Not one person makes or breaks your team. You might have one really good person, but if the rest of them aren’t good, your team’s not going to be good.”
“Claire made varsity as a sophomore as one of our outside hitters,” said WRHS head coach Jennifer Burton. ‘She is talented in all facets of the game: hitting, defense and serving. She was an impact player for us last year in a tough Mid-Wach A schedule.
“Claire works all year long to improve her skills and plays as much volleyball she can at the highest level possible. She’s very hard-working; her teammates love her. She’s a student of the game, very smart and determined. She will make a fine coach someday. She helps out whenever needed, does the little things that are necessary, often without being asked.”
Michalowski’s love of the sport of volleyball came slightly later than most, as it was freshman year where she broke in on the JV team before being promoted to varsity one year later. She comes from a very sports-oriented family — she is the youngest of four athletic siblings — that helped move things along informally.
“I had a lot of the skills that some kids get when they played middle school because I played for three years in my backyard with my siblings,” she said. “There are a lot of hitters a lot taller than me (5-foot-7) so I have to jump pretty high. That’s just something I have to keep working at.”
Michalowski gives credit where credit is due, and that is with the setters who feed her the ball so she can deliver a decisive spike or feather the ball for a soft drop onto opponents’ territory for points. Knowing she has such competent teammates makes life on the court a little less nerve-wracking.
“Spiking the ball feels really good, but it’s also our amazing setters at Wachusett that know how to put the ball in the right place and let me get that feeling,” she said. “Going into games, I do get a little nervous, but once you start playing, it’s almost like all the excitement of playing just rushes into you. It becomes really fun, really fast.
“Communication is super important, because you have to know what’s happening. Talking to people and knowing they have your back and you have theirs, it makes the game go by a lot smoother than if it was all quiet. The game goes by a lot faster than you think it will. You’re going to miss points, but you have to trust that your teammates are going to be there with you, understand and will get the next one.”
Intense gym work to maintain strength and stamina are not at all foreign to Michalowski. She knows that it all comes with the territory, but it is worth it when it helps her performance on the court.
“I do a lot of leg work and conditioning to make sure I can jump at a consistently good height throughout the game. Some of the long rallies do take a toll, and it’s not much fun if you’re not in good shape,” she said.
“I really do love the game and enjoy all the people I work with at Wachusett. Sometimes you get tired and it seems like practice is dragging on forever. They really help you get through it. Those little moments of doubt, they really help you.”
In addition to academics and sports, Michalowski volunteers for NEADS Service Dogs, a training facility in Princeton.
