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10/25/2017 12:00 AMOne of the greatest assets any volleyball player can have is the ability to cover the court on both sides of the ball. It’s an attribute that Trinity Flynn has dug deep to master as a member of the Guilford volleyball squad. Trinity, a senior captain right side hitter, has racked up 120 kills with 21 blocks and 23 digs this year for the Indians, who are 17-1 and recently won the SCC Oronoque Division title.
“I think what helps me on the court is that I’m pretty flexible and able to get to different sets on balls, whether they are hit high or low. I’m able to adjust to where they are coming from, which helps me,” Trinity says. “I try to just focus before each play and figure out how I want to hit the ball. I focus on how I want to hit or touch the ball, so I can get the ball to do what I want it to do.”
Guilford’s Head Coach Laura Meyer says that Trinity is a great leader who’s gained an exponential amount of confidence throughout the past few years. Meyer has seen the proof of that in the way Trinity plays.
“Trinity has been a strong leader both on and off the court right now. She may be a quiet leader, but leads by example and positivity,” says Meyer. “Trinity’s skills are tremendous in the front row. She has an incredible [vertical leap], which allows her to hit the ball straight down and block opposing hitters. Sometimes her hits are untouchable, and she can take the opposing hitters out of their element by blocking them. She has really grown over the past couple of years to a become a more confident athlete and person, and she is a huge component of our success thus far.”
When discussing her jump and the edge it gives her, Trinity feels that her experience as a member of Guilford crew helped her find that final ingredient to cook up the kills on the court. This includes a season-high total of 16 kills when Trinity was under the weather in a match against Sheehan.
“The leap has helped me a lot with my blocking. I also do crew, and it’s helped strengthened my legs to get the bigger vertical. It helps me to get that extra inch over other people,” says Trinity. “I was actually sick against Sheehan, but I was just focused on making the ball in and where I placed it.”
As a captain, Trinity encourages open discussion in practice in an effort to improve the Indians’ mechanics during matches. She’s also a big believer in the power of positive vibes.
“This has been one of my favorite years, because me and [fellow senior captain] Julia Hyman have focused more on having a comfortable team dynamic,” Trinity says. “We’re more focused on including everyone and making sure they have a voice. It’s about positivity, and we can build off of each other because of that.”
That attitude has played a heavy hand in Guilford earning its high stature in the SCC and Class L standings this year. While the Indians came up one win short of an undefeated regular season, Trinity knows that the chase for championships is alive and well behind a group of girls who always give their all.
“A lot of our success this year has come from the ability to communicate positively and tell people what needs to happen constructively. After our first loss, we were upset, but it was important that we did lose, because it helped us refocus ourselves and shift us back to where we need to be,” says Trinity. “We’re going to try to focus on individual skills heading into the postseason and look at the individual parts of games that don’t work against good teams. No matter how good or bad a team is, we want to be playing to the best of our abilities.”