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11/18/2014 11:00 PMWhen it came to going in for kills on the volleyball court this fall, Heather Wirth used both her mind and her might to spike her way to top honors with the Indians.
The junior middle hitter started her net work in middle school and earned some varsity playing experience last season. Heather then had a much greater impact in the recent campaign by collecting a team-best 153 kills in 77 sets to garner All-SCC Hammonasset Division accolades and help Guilford earn 13 victories that included a SCC Tournament win over Oronoque champion East Haven.
"It's almost surreal to be a go-to player for a kill this year. Last year, I was with two good outside hitters so I wasn't one of the star players or anything like that. When we were down this year, Coach [Laura] Meyer would say to us to get the ball to me," says Heather, who plays for the Connecticut Juniors squad during the offseason. "I was shocked by making the All-Division team. There are some good players from Foran and Hand that were named to that team so I can't believe I was right there with them."
Heather explains that her approach to attacking is different than other athletes as she thinks more about her floor location rather than swinging through with strength.
"Most high school players don't pick a spot to hit from and they will just try to use their speed and arm to get the kills. But I just try to tip it into the right spot around the net," she says. "I watch the other team's rotation and see where their players are. I also try to find deep corners on the court."
When anticipating the ball coming to her, Heather says that it all comes down to the matchup and the adversary's specific tendencies, along with their level of aggressiveness.
"It honestly depends on the team you play and what they do. If you are playing a team with good coverage, then you want to hit for the kill. Although when they stay back on the 10-foot line, then you will want to tip it to get the kill," says Heather. "Once you play a certain team once and see what they do, you should be able to get more kills the second time."
Coach Meyer proclaims that Heather is always looking to learn new things on her way to becoming an even stronger force after also topping the squad in blocks with 72 total swats.
"Heather was one of our go-to players when we needed a kill," says Meyer. "Heather is very coachable. She often asks questions about her timing and wants to play the best she can. We are looking forward to Heather improving more and being even more of a threat next season."
Looking back on a productive season for the Indians that saw them increase their win total from 2013 by five, Heather feels their one playoff triumph was when both she and the squad peaked. Guilford swept the Yellowjackets 3-0 with Heather notching nine kills with five blocks and six digs.
"We were all throwing our bodies on the ground to pop the ball up and get those kills and it felt really good afterwards when we won," she says.
Heather played alongside a crop of varsity newcomers this season and says the progress they made in their 23 matches only further proves that the future is bright at Guilford.
"We had a bunch of sophomore that got pulled up to varsity this year and did a great job. The way we meshed together as a team, we never did that before. It didn't matter if we won or lost because we could pull it together for the next match," says Heather, who thanks Coach Meyer and her former freshman coach Craig Brown. "We lose our setter, but we have mostly the same team next year as we only had one senior starter. I think we will be a powerhouse and win a lot of games."