Andrea Mise is a team captain and outside hitter for Oak Park High School girls volleyball and has been playing on varsity for three years. Mise has been part of the volleyball team her whole high school career, which makes leaving extremely sentimental.

“The feeling has been bittersweet. I have been playing volleyball for pretty much my entire life and this being my last high school season has definitely left me trying to enjoy the little moments more,” Mise said. “Even though my season is coming to an end, I’m glad that our team was able to get this far, winning the league and making it to semifinals in CIF.”

The volleyball team has comparatively improved a lot compared to last season. 

“I hope people remember that this senior class brought passion, positivity, and a sense of unity to the program,” Mise said. “We played not just to win, but to make every moment count and leave the team stronger than when we started.”

During the volleyball season there were countless games, but the most important was against Camarillo. 

“It was a big determiner for which school would win league and it really connected us chemistry wise,” Mise said. “Every single set started out with us being down points and we found a way every time to get back up and secure a win. Winning this game was huge for us.”

If Mise could give advice to her freshman self she would tell herself to stop overthinking. 

“You’re going to get better, you’re going to gain confidence and the nerves will turn into love for the game,” Mise said.

Mise noticed there was a big difference between previous seasons and this season. 

“Every year I’ve been playing with people older than me and this year the team was composed of mostly underclassmen,” Mise said. “It brought out a new energy to the team that really helped us out in the long run throughout the season.”