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12/07/2017 11:00 PMValley Regional senior Alex Figuenick has played a key role for two Warriors’ teams who are on the upswing. Alex recently helped the Valley volleyball squad post its most successful year in decades behind 20 victories and nice runs in both postseason tournaments, including a spot in the Shoreline Conference final. She also patrols center field for the softball team, which won 13 games last spring.
Alex feels proud of what she and her teammates accomplished on the volleyball court this fall. The Warriors came into the year with a goal of winning Shorelines, but most importantly, they wanted to have no regrets about their effort in each and every match.
“Our main goal was to leave everything on the court,” Alex says. “Especially after starting the season with six wins, we felt we really had a good chance this season. We really put up a good fight in our last games.”
Alex played the libero position for the Warriors. It’s a defensive position that often receives the opposition’s serve and always needs to be ready to make a key dig on an opponent’s attack. Alex explains that a team depends on the libero to make the transition from defense to offense.
“I was awarded libero sophomore year all the way through senior year. It’s the glue to the team. Everyone relies on you,” says Alex, an Ivoryton resident. “You’re also called the defensive specialist. People tend to hit at you more. You’re really relied on.”
Alex made good on the Warriors’ trust in her. This year, she led the team in serving percentage at 93.4 percent to go with 57 aces, in addition to amassing 340 digs and 395 receptions. Alex garnered her second straight All-Shoreline Conference nod by earning a spot on the Second Team.
Head Coach Kathy Scott says that Alex’s contributions to the Warriors go beyond the stat sheet, and she presented Alex with the team’s Most Inspirational Player Award for the season. Scott says that Alex led Valley by example by constantly improving year after year and game after game.
“She really took a leadership role in the back row. Just like [Hannah Clark] is our quarterback offensively, [Alex] plays that role defensively. She plays all year long, and you can tell from last year to this year. She was better this year for a lot of different reasons, and she made little improvements throughout the season, even though she came in a really strong player,” says Coach Scott. “If it went to her, we always got some kind of play off of it. She showed really good court sense and really good knowledge of the game. She was able to bring everyone together on serve receive. Sometimes [libero] is not a glory position, but it’s such an important role. It didn’t matter to Alex, though. She just wanted to see the team do well.”
Alex says Scott made a suggestion that strengthened her mental game on the court and adds that Scott’s coaching philosophies had an all-around big benefit on the Warriors.
“Coach Scott recommended mediation to me. I think it really helped me. When I was really stressed out, it totally calmed me down and refocused me,” says Alex. “Coach Scott really allowed us to focus on the positive instead of the negative. We wrote in the journals about what we needed to improve on, keeping an open mind, and staying away from negative things. That definitely helped us.”
Alex relished being a leader for Valley Regional and used her knowledge of volleyball to everyone’s benefit in that role. When she isn’t playing volleyball or softball at Valley, Alex competes for a variety of club volleyball teams. This winter, she will return to Husky Volleyball in Windsor to continue honing her game.
“I think a lot of people relied on me. People expected me to do more. I was training a lot in the summer, so I could be the best I could,” Alex says. “I wanted to be positive and energetic, and I think that spread to other people, which is the main point of being a libero. I think me doing that inspired a lot of the younger players.”
Along with her strong play on the volleyball court, Alex also shows her skills on the softball field for Valley. She hopes to build on her solid performance from last season, when she received All-Shoreline Honorable Mention with a .431 batting average. Alex says that softball offers a change, and she enjoys doing something that doesn’t come to her quite as easily.
“I feel like softball is totally different. It’s harder, but I like the idea that I am bettering myself because of that,” she says. “I love the excitement. I got a home run last year, and that really got me excited. Plus, I run more. I actually dive, too, but that’s the same as volleyball.”
As for the future, Alex will play club volleyball until softball ramps up this spring. Alex hopes to continue with volleyball in college, but she’s ready to focus on her studies, too.
“I made a highlight video from this season. I sent it out to coaches at Division III colleges,” says Alex. “If I don’t get the opportunity, I will just go for my school work and just focus on that. It’s up in the air right now.”