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December 12, 2023

vballrecruiter.com’s Senior Player of the Year: Malayah Long

December 12, 2023

As the last point of the season concluded and Lincoln Southwest officially made history, Malayah Long looked at her mom and sister in the stands and that’s when the tears of joy started flowing. The Silver Hawks had never captured a state championship until that moment when they swept past Papillion-La Vista in the Nebraska Class A final and in the process becoming the first Lincoln school since 1998 to accomplish the feat. “Volleyball means so much to me,” said Long, a 4-star senior setter and Marquette signee. “Growing up my father passed away when I was 10 and I want to make him proud. I’ve spent so much time and effort. I’m always in the gym with (club coach) Blake (Rawlins). I wanted this goal. This was my final chance at it and making history by winning state. Just thinking about it I can’t even express to my school, my community and everyone around me what it means.” Until last season, Lincoln Southwest hadn’t even advanced as far as the semifinals in the state playoffs. It was quite the achievement but with the team’s two best attackers graduating the roster wasn’t necessarily shaped for a deeper run in 2023. One thing was for sure though, no matter what happened this fall, Long was going to be the centerpiece. “I think the success this year stemmed back to last season,” Lincoln Southwest coach Jessica Kirkendall said. “This was my second year as head coach and after losing last year there was a bit of doubt in general losing the seniors we did but Malayah was not going to let people say that. “It was her motivation for this season that we are not done, we are not ending like that. She had everyone realizing that we could do better than what we did before and that’s exactly what they did.” Long ended the year with 1,067 assists, averaging 10.7 per set. She was also second in both digs (290) and aces (36), as well as fourth in blocks (38). She had seven matches of 40 assists or more, including a season-best 44 in a five-set loss to Lincoln East as the Silver Hawks finished the year 33-4. However, the reason Long is the vballrecruiter.com 2023 Senior Player of the Year goes well beyond the numbers. “I definitely think Malayah is every coach’s dream,” Kirkendall said. “She was our floor captain for that reason. She has a high IQ that goes both ways. She knows what is going on on the other side of the net. She also knows our side of the net and her teammates. If this person has an error she can tell them they need to take responsibility. Or she knows to give this person her space. She really understands her teammates and really wanted the team to come together. She’s the first one to say what are we doing this weekend or what are we doing after practice. She knows in order to play really good volleyball there has to be chemistry and good relationships. These past two years the girls are genuinely friends with each other in and out of volleyball.” Becoming a better leader was one of the main focuses for Long this fall. She made it a goal to learn and connect with her teammates in a way that was going to make them better and get the most out of their talent. It meant something as simple as making eye contact or knowing what teammates like physical contact. It meant telling her middle that she needed to swing on the next ball or pumping up another player who needed lots of energy and encouragement. “For me personally I wanted to change my role as a leader,” Long said. “As the setter, they all look at my leadership. I’m very intense. I want to win. I’m super competitive. I want to win every single point. This year I looked at each player to see how they work and how I can impact each of them. It was figuring out each player and working to focus on that this year.” For Long, the turning point this fall came with the five-set loss to rival Lincoln East on Senior night. Her team had controlled the first two sets but was unable to close out the match and dropped the next three. It’s the type of loss that can derail a season as it’s easy in that situation to lose confidence. Instead, it fueled Long and her teammates. “Looking back, if we would have won that match I think we would have stayed complacent and taken reps off in practice and not giving it our all,” Long said. “After that game, we came to practice and our coach held us accountable. We knew we had to work for every point and that it started in practice. If we wanted to be the team we wanted to be we had to hold ourselves to a different standard. That was a wake-up call.” As Long moves on to college next year, she’ll leave her legacy behind and a void to be filled. Kirkendall said she’s obviously going to miss what Long brings to the court, but it’s the non-volleyball stuff Long did that might make her the saddest about Long’s departure. “Her personality outside of volleyball is really cool and genuine,” Kirkendall said. “I teach first grade and that’s different from other coaches at the high school level. For the past two years she has come into my classroom and volunteered and just hung out and be a face for the kids. They absolutely adore her. We had several first-graders come to the state final with signs that said Mo Long is my hero. She is so involved with the high school. She’s a teacher assistant in the life skill classroom. For the state sendoff kids had signs for her. I feel like overall she’s her genuine self and it’s not about look at me. She’s such

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vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Olivia Henry (FREE)

December 12, 2023

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Olivia Henry. *** There’s been a common thread with our recent Players of the Week and the trend continues this week with Olivia Henry. Like our past three Players of the Week, Henry is also a ninth-grader who had an amazing season and helped her high school team to a state championship. And just like Lydia Chinchar, Peyton Heatherly and Gentry Barker, it elevated Henry to a Freshman Player of the Year Finalist after she guided Fieldston – which is coached by her father, Collin – to the NYSAIS state title and a perfect 22-0 season. Henry – a 6-4, 5-star recruit – began making a name for herself this past club season playing for ASEVC. With both her dad and mom having volleyball backgrounds, Henry was raised in the sport and has been around her dad’s high school team her whole life. “My dad would always take me to the park and I would pepper against the wall,” Henry said. “I learned to do a top spin serve around 7 and serving like that really got me interested in volleyball. My dad was always teaching me how to do it. “He would usually bring me to all his games during the high school season. I remember sitting on the bench and analyzing and talking about what the girls were doing so I could catch on quicker. I learned the sport a lot faster growing up and watching volleyball on TV or in real life.” There was a whirlwind of anticipation and eagerness as her freshman season neared. She no longer had to sit on the sidelines as a spectator but instead could be an actual participant. Henry knew all the girls on the team well before she applied to get in to Fieldston and play under her dad. With Henry officially on the roster, her dad made it clear what the goal was this fall. That was getting back to the top of the mountain and regaining the state championship which Fieldston last captured in 2015. “In the preseason my dad was not messing around,” Henry said. “He said we are winning the championship and bringing another banner to hang on the wall. That’s exactly what we did. It was tears of joy. This one was special because we got to win it together.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Henry about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Henry: My role model is I’m going to say my dad. He has been in this sport all his life. He’s in the process of teaching me what he knows. He teaches me how to work hard and how to be a good teammate. I talk to him every day. He’s wise and an inspiring person. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would you do and why? Henry: I would bake. I have such a sweet tooth. I love baking cookies, especially with my mom. I would probably do that and learn some new recipes. I like brownies. They are really good. My mom made them all the time when I was a kid. I know they are not good to eat being an athlete but I love brownies. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Henry: I would learn how to play tennis because it’s really similar to volleyball. I’ve watched a few tennis games before during the US Open because it’s near my house. It’s a really interesting sport so I would want to learn how to play. Aside from basic necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without? Henry: I cannot go a day without music. It gets me through my day. I listen walking between classes at school or while I’m doing homework or before games because it gets me hyped for whatever I’m about to do. What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile? Henry: It’s definitely knowing that I’m going to practice that day. Walking into the gym and seeing my teammates before practice and talking about our days. It’s not just volleyball related. It’s a whole other relationship with your teammates and having that strong connection on and off the court. What’s one of your favorite ways to have fun? Henry: I think probably going out with my friends shopping and going to the mall. I like to spend quality time and having fun. Shopping is one of the best things anybody can ever do. Who doesn’t like to go shopping? Outside of volleyball what are you most passionate about and why? Henry: I’m most passionate about my academics. I really want to do well in school. Being a student-athlete and not just an athlete. I want to be a student and keep up with my grades. I want to get things done on time and then have extra time to do whatever, but school always comes first before volleyball. What is one thing that may surprise people about you? Henry: A lot of people tell me when they first meet me that I’m actually really funny and have a good sense of humor. It’s surprising because when people first see me they think I’m intimidating because of my height, but when they get to know me it’s a whole different side of myself. If you could live anywhere you wanted, where would it be and why? Henry: I would definitely live in Jamaica. My dad is Jamaican and everything there overall is better than New York, like warmer weather and the food is definitely better.

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vballrecruiter.com’s Senior Player of the Year: Malayah Long

December 12, 2023

As the last point of the season concluded and Lincoln Southwest officially made history, Malayah Long looked at her mom and sister in the stands and that’s when the tears of joy started flowing. The Silver Hawks had never captured a state championship until that moment when they swept past Papillion-La Vista in the Nebraska Class A final and in the process becoming the first Lincoln school since 1998 to accomplish the feat. “Volleyball means so much to me,” said Long, a 4-star senior setter and Marquette signee. “Growing up my father passed away when I was 10 and I want to make him proud. I’ve spent so much time and effort. I’m always in the gym with (club coach) Blake (Rawlins). I wanted this goal. This was my final chance at it and making history by winning state. Just thinking about it I can’t even express to my school, my community and everyone around me what it means.” Until last season, Lincoln Southwest hadn’t even advanced as far as the semifinals in the state playoffs. It was quite the achievement but with the team’s two best attackers graduating the roster wasn’t necessarily shaped for a deeper run in 2023. One thing was for sure though, no matter what happened this fall, Long was going to be the centerpiece. “I think the success this year stemmed back to last season,” Lincoln Southwest coach Jessica Kirkendall said. “This was my second year as head coach and after losing last year there was a bit of doubt in general losing the seniors we did but Malayah was not going to let people say that. “It was her motivation for this season that we are not done, we are not ending like that. She had everyone realizing that we could do better than what we did before and that’s exactly what they did.” Long ended the year with 1,067 assists, averaging 10.7 per set. She was also second in both digs (290) and aces (36), as well as fourth in blocks (38). She had seven matches of 40 assists or more, including a season-best 44 in a five-set loss to Lincoln East as the Silver Hawks finished the year 33-4. However, the reason Long is the vballrecruiter.com 2023 Senior Player of the Year goes well beyond the numbers. “I definitely think Malayah is every coach’s dream,” Kirkendall said. “She was our floor captain for that reason. She has a high IQ that goes both ways. She knows what is going on on the other side of the net. She also knows our side of the net and her teammates. If this person has an error she can tell them they need to take responsibility. Or she knows to give this person her space. She really understands her teammates and really wanted the team to come together. She’s the first one to say what are we doing this weekend or what are we doing after practice. She knows in order to play really good volleyball there has to be chemistry and good relationships. These past two years the girls are genuinely friends with each other in and out of volleyball.” Becoming a better leader was one of the main focuses for Long this fall. She made it a goal to learn and connect with her teammates in a way that was going to make them better and get the most out of their talent. It meant something as simple as making eye contact or knowing what teammates like physical contact. It meant telling her middle that she needed to swing on the next ball or pumping up another player who needed lots of energy and encouragement. “For me personally I wanted to change my role as a leader,” Long said. “As the setter, they all look at my leadership. I’m very intense. I want to win. I’m super competitive. I want to win every single point. This year I looked at each player to see how they work and how I can impact each of them. It was figuring out each player and working to focus on that this year.” For Long, the turning point this fall came with the five-set loss to rival Lincoln East on Senior night. Her team had controlled the first two sets but was unable to close out the match and dropped the next three. It’s the type of loss that can derail a season as it’s easy in that situation to lose confidence. Instead, it fueled Long and her teammates. “Looking back, if we would have won that match I think we would have stayed complacent and taken reps off in practice and not giving it our all,” Long said. “After that game, we came to practice and our coach held us accountable. We knew we had to work for every point and that it started in practice. If we wanted to be the team we wanted to be we had to hold ourselves to a different standard. That was a wake-up call.” As Long moves on to college next year, she’ll leave her legacy behind and a void to be filled. Kirkendall said she’s obviously going to miss what Long brings to the court, but it’s the non-volleyball stuff Long did that might make her the saddest about Long’s departure. “Her personality outside of volleyball is really cool and genuine,” Kirkendall said. “I teach first grade and that’s different from other coaches at the high school level. For the past two years she has come into my classroom and volunteered and just hung out and be a face for the kids. They absolutely adore her. We had several first-graders come to the state final with signs that said Mo Long is my hero. She is so involved with the high school. She’s a teacher assistant in the life skill classroom. For the state sendoff kids had signs for her. I feel like overall she’s her genuine self and it’s not about look at me. She’s such

Read More »

vballrecruiter.com’s Player of the Week: Olivia Henry (FREE)

December 12, 2023

We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Olivia Henry. *** There’s been a common thread with our recent Players of the Week and the trend continues this week with Olivia Henry. Like our past three Players of the Week, Henry is also a ninth-grader who had an amazing season and helped her high school team to a state championship. And just like Lydia Chinchar, Peyton Heatherly and Gentry Barker, it elevated Henry to a Freshman Player of the Year Finalist after she guided Fieldston – which is coached by her father, Collin – to the NYSAIS state title and a perfect 22-0 season. Henry – a 6-4, 5-star recruit – began making a name for herself this past club season playing for ASEVC. With both her dad and mom having volleyball backgrounds, Henry was raised in the sport and has been around her dad’s high school team her whole life. “My dad would always take me to the park and I would pepper against the wall,” Henry said. “I learned to do a top spin serve around 7 and serving like that really got me interested in volleyball. My dad was always teaching me how to do it. “He would usually bring me to all his games during the high school season. I remember sitting on the bench and analyzing and talking about what the girls were doing so I could catch on quicker. I learned the sport a lot faster growing up and watching volleyball on TV or in real life.” There was a whirlwind of anticipation and eagerness as her freshman season neared. She no longer had to sit on the sidelines as a spectator but instead could be an actual participant. Henry knew all the girls on the team well before she applied to get in to Fieldston and play under her dad. With Henry officially on the roster, her dad made it clear what the goal was this fall. That was getting back to the top of the mountain and regaining the state championship which Fieldston last captured in 2015. “In the preseason my dad was not messing around,” Henry said. “He said we are winning the championship and bringing another banner to hang on the wall. That’s exactly what we did. It was tears of joy. This one was special because we got to win it together.” As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Henry about volleyball and more. Who is a role model or someone you look up to? Henry: My role model is I’m going to say my dad. He has been in this sport all his life. He’s in the process of teaching me what he knows. He teaches me how to work hard and how to be a good teammate. I talk to him every day. He’s wise and an inspiring person. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would you do and why? Henry: I would bake. I have such a sweet tooth. I love baking cookies, especially with my mom. I would probably do that and learn some new recipes. I like brownies. They are really good. My mom made them all the time when I was a kid. I know they are not good to eat being an athlete but I love brownies. Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why? Henry: I would learn how to play tennis because it’s really similar to volleyball. I’ve watched a few tennis games before during the US Open because it’s near my house. It’s a really interesting sport so I would want to learn how to play. Aside from basic necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without? Henry: I cannot go a day without music. It gets me through my day. I listen walking between classes at school or while I’m doing homework or before games because it gets me hyped for whatever I’m about to do. What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile? Henry: It’s definitely knowing that I’m going to practice that day. Walking into the gym and seeing my teammates before practice and talking about our days. It’s not just volleyball related. It’s a whole other relationship with your teammates and having that strong connection on and off the court. What’s one of your favorite ways to have fun? Henry: I think probably going out with my friends shopping and going to the mall. I like to spend quality time and having fun. Shopping is one of the best things anybody can ever do. Who doesn’t like to go shopping? Outside of volleyball what are you most passionate about and why? Henry: I’m most passionate about my academics. I really want to do well in school. Being a student-athlete and not just an athlete. I want to be a student and keep up with my grades. I want to get things done on time and then have extra time to do whatever, but school always comes first before volleyball. What is one thing that may surprise people about you? Henry: A lot of people tell me when they first meet me that I’m actually really funny and have a good sense of humor. It’s surprising because when people first see me they think I’m intimidating because of my height, but when they get to know me it’s a whole different side of myself. If you could live anywhere you wanted, where would it be and why? Henry: I would definitely live in Jamaica. My dad is Jamaican and everything there overall is better than New York, like warmer weather and the food is definitely better.

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