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11/16/2016 11:00 PMOne of Eryn Murtagh’s favorite things about volleyball is the sport’s high-energy, fast-paced nature. That makes plenty of sense seeing as how Eryn always brought plenty of power to the defensive side of the court at Guilford.
Eryn, a senior captain back row player, initially became interested in volleyball through a club at Baldwin Middle School, after which she played at Adams Middle School. Once she arrived at the high school, Eryn began progressing every year and, in her final season this fall, she recorded 140 digs with 198 serve receptions for the Indians.
“I love the energy of the game. It’s very exciting and I like the fast pace of it,” says Eryn. “Every point is a chance to do something special and make a play for your team...As a team, we’ve really played well together. When you are comfortable with your teammates, you play better. We also had a summer league through Connecticut Juniors where we were able to play together before the season started.”
Eryn constantly had her head on a swivel when it came time to handle an opponent’s serve. She always stayed alert on every point and that approach was duplicated by her teammates.
“I expect the ball to come to me, so I have what I want to do with the ball in my head. That’s really the mentality of the rest of the team, as well,” Eryn says. “I try to adjust to the stronger servers and, if the serve is deep, then I stay back. I also look at how their jump serve is to see where I can pop the ball up.”
Eryn felt ecstatic to hold her role as an Indians’ captain and her leadership efforts even went beyond the court. Eryn was also pro-active in drumming up support for the Guilford volleyball program.
“Being named captain has meant a lot to me and I was honored to be named one. The captains are just trying to make this year the best it can be, while being positive leaders and role models,” says Eryn. “We also organized fundraisers and car washes for the team, along with the summer league. I have loved it. It’s been a fantastic experience.”
Indians’ Head Coach Laura Meyer praises Eryn for her dedication to her game, boosting the morale of the team, and her ability to ice down any fiery serve.
“She has been on varsity for three years. She is a leader. She spends a lot of the offseason organizing things for the team,” says Meyer. “She also dedicates a lot of her offseason time to doing camps to improve her skills. And throughout the whole year, she has been a positive presence on and off the court. She has a great serve and great digs against good hits.”
Even though the Indians were unable to go far in the SCC and state tournaments this year, Eryn still feels there were plenty of positives to take away from a 2016 campaign that saw her make a big impact on a tight-knit, fun-loving group.
“We are a very positive team that wants to do our best. We are focused on how we get along and we play our best when we have fun,” says Eryn, who thanks Meyer, her family, and her teammates. “Overall, we were happy with how we played in SCCs. It was a great atmosphere,”