en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:03:27 GMT 15 By Taylor Garten
Passionate, intense, sports fanatic, dedicated senior Maureen Kessler broke the school record of 31 kills in a volleyball match. Kessler had a spectacular 32 kills in the Rocky River vs. Westlake game. To master a kill, a player must follow three important steps: a pass, a set, and an initial hit to the opposing team’s side of the court. If the opponents cannot return the ball, it is a kill. This was a goal that Kessler was aiming to reach. Kessler had previously attempted to break the record, but came three away. “I was three away last year so this year I decided to try and break it,” Kessler said. Kessler was oblivious to her record breaking phenomena until after the game her coach reviewed Kessler’s “kill tallies” and let her share in the good news. The previous record holder was the assistant coach and was held since 1992, until Maureen came along that is. “It was something I was trying to do for awhile now, but when it happened I didn’t even know it. It was hard to do,” Kessler said. To perform a task like this Kessler practices everyday of the week besides Sundays, that is if she doesn’t have a game. “Practices usually run from 3:30 to 5:30ish,” Kessler said. With all this hard work and dedication Kessler has not yet been injured during a game. Kessler’s whole family is very active in sports so they were ecstatic to hear the good news. “My family was really excited to see that all my hard-work had finally paid off. They were really happy,” Kessler said. It was bound to happen that Kessler were to break the record. Her whole family is very involved in activities. “My mom played tennis and my dad participated in basketball, water polo, and track. My sisters and I were involved in Irish dancing because our mom also did that as well,” Kessler said. Kessler also participates in more than one sport in more than one season. “I like a variety. In the fall, I play volleyball. Winter, I do basketball, and in the spring, I am in track. It’s good because you can be really active and become friends with a lot of different people,” Kessler said. Kessler enjoys the teamwork that her teammates put into the game. “I like the teamwork aspect of it. Everyone has to work together,” Kessler said. Not only has Kessler set the new record in volleyball but in track as well. “My 4x400 relay team in track set the school record,” Kessler said. Kessler is also a part of Key Club, NHS, and SOS which is tutoring students that need help in certain subjects. Despite all her games and clubs she part-takes in, Kessler has maintained good grades by developing her own time management schedule. “I’ve learned how to manage my time. I do work in school time and play in sports time,” Kessler said. Kessler is clearly a busy woman. Kessler is deciding on colleges. “I have a couple narrowed down like Ohio State, St. Louis, Dayton, Miami of Ohio,” Kessler said. Surprisingly enough Kessler is not planning on doing volleyball during her college experience. “I’m going to focus on school first and then inter mural sports on the side,” Kessler said. Kessler is planning on majoring in physical therapy. “I really like the fact of helping people with injuries,” Kessler said. ]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:37:00 GMT