When Taryn Kondo decided she wanted to give volleyball a try in the 7th grade, she didn’t know immediately that it would be a sport she’d fall in love with for life.
“I loved watching the game,” Kondo said. “But it had been a few years since I played a sport. Some of my friends had been playing for a few years, and I thought it would be interesting. I decided to try it, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Expectations for the new season are always high for the Campus volleyball team.
“Our season is going well,” Kondo continued. “We haven’t played a lot of games because we started about a week ago. We had a pre-season tournament on August 28, and I think we could’ve done a little better than we did, but part of that was it being our first time going out and playing with new team members.”
Kondo is an outside hitter for Campus High School, and she said the chemistry of the team is something she thinks is going to lead them to great things.
“We have all gotten along pretty well,” she said. “If there is something bringing down the energy on the court, as a team, we talk it out and make sure everything is resolved so we can play as a whole. There is nothing more important than trust when it comes to a team sport like this. We all got to know each other pretty well this summer and I can see a difference.”
When it comes to her precious little free time, Kondo said she tries to keep variety in mind.
“I love being able to go hang out with my friends,” she said. “Sometimes taking a little break from volleyball is good, especially when I didn’t play as well as I wanted. I want to be able to let the bad things go and come back with a better attitude ready to play.”
With college looming on the horizon in the next couple of years, Kondo said she hasn’t gotten any scholarship offers, but she’s won a few awards.
“I am so thankful for my club and high school coaches who have helped me succeed in many ways,” she said. “My parents are special to me because without them having to take off work or make sacrifices because I have a tournament, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish the things I can to better my future in volleyball.”
