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12/13/2017 11:00 PMJuliet Young stepped into a position that she had never previously played in her freshman year as a starter for the Guilford volleyball team. With the support of her coaches and teammates, Juliet dug deep and made an immediate impact with the Indians, who put the rest of the state on notice by having a landmark campaign.
Juliet, who played soccer and tennis before starting volleyball at Adams Middle School, was thrown into the starting spotlight at the defensive libero position as a freshman during the recent season. Juliet adjusted to her new situation quite quickly and wound up finishing the year with healthy totals of 206 digs, 66 aces, and 288 serve receptions, while helping Guilford go 22-4, reach its first SCC Tournament final in six years, and also make an appearance in the semifinals of the Class L State Tournament.
“I was told that volleyball was easier on your feet in general, and it looked like a fun sport. As a freshman, just starting was intimidating, but everyone was so welcoming to both me and Emma,” who started for Guilford alongside fellow freshman Emma Appleman. “Their support helped us all bond, which led to our success and put the team on another level. The team is so family-like with how they accepted Emma and I. We bonded so much, and it helped make something special with this team.”
At the beginning of the season, the libero position was not only new to Juliet, but also the Indians in general. Juliet simply took things day by day to get acclimated, and Guilford’s 14-match win streak to start the year gave both she and her teammates a big jolt of confidence.
“I never played libero before this year. It was crazy when I was told I’d be libero, because I didn’t think I even had a chance to make the team. There was also pressure, because they hadn’t had a libero the past couple of years,” Juliet says. “Once I saw I could handle the hard hits from other teams, it boosted my confidence. We got on that winning streak, and we built up our skill levels and confidence with each game.”
Juliet says that being swift with her returns is one of the most important aspects of life in the back row. Thanks to some wise words of advice from this year’s senior captains, Juliet was able to zone in on handling her specific responsibilities on the court.
“I pride myself on my quickness. My main role is a defensive position where I have to keep everything from hitting the floor. I make sure I can anticipate the ball with good reaction time,” says Juliet. “One of our captains Trinity Flynn said to me that I’m a good passer, so I just have to worry about passing the ball. Her and our other captain Julia Hyman really pumped our team up and made us realize there was simplicity with our jobs on the court.”
Indians’ Head Coach Laura Meyer says Juliet plays with a pride and passion that go beyond her grade and adds that she has the badges of honor to prove it.
“Juliet gives 100 percent every time she takes the court. She would end up with numerous bruises from diving all over the floor,” says Meyer. “She brought strong passing skills to the back row and shook off the nerves of being a freshman libero quickly. Sometimes I would forget she is just a freshman. She has a tricky serve, which a lot of teams could not return. She is a really positive friendly teammate who fit right in.”
Guilford was a young team that ultimately progressed into one of the best in Connecticut this year. The Indians’ success in 2017 has everyone on the team feeling optimistic about what they can achieve in future seasons.
“The team this year picked up on a fire in us from the first game. For me, I’m looking forward to improving and facing some challenging hitters,” says Juliet, who thanks her parents, Jennifer and Chris; her twin sister Eve, along with all of her coaches and teammates. “We have a lot of strong hitters moving onto college, so we are going to try and build a foundation on that. We have a lot of girls doing offseason training this winter, and I’m going to work on improving in my position and jelling with teammates next year.”