Crystal Hovland is having a good senior year in volleyball.

“Crystal has been a strong player on offense and defense,” said Coach Jessica Fritz. “She plays the net really well. She never gives up.”

At every match, she tries to give it her all. Her attitude reflects her work ethic and her game shows the results.

“I plan on going out there and working my hardest,” said Hovland.

The middle hitter has been playing volleyball since junior high and has played for five years, skipping her freshman year. She has set a goal of improving her skills.

“I’d like to improve my hitting and passing, and jump serving,” said Hovland.

For now her passing is fairly strong, but her attitude is that “you can always improve.”

As for her hopes for the team for this season, Hovland said, “We definitely want to be able to take districts.” Of course, she added, the team always has its eye on playing in state competition. If the team can pull it all together, they may have a shot.

“I definitely think we have the talent to go far,” said Hovland.

She believes that team communication is the key to keeping the team focused and on their game plan.

“Team communication is something we all need to work on,” said Hovland.

“The team has been up and down,” said the coach. “We’ve played some really strong games and we’ve had some struggles.”

Two areas which are important are serving and passing and this team has struggled with both, but they are working on improving those areas, according to Fritz. They will need to polish those skills if they hope to take districts.

Fritz said it has been a good year, but a learning year for her as a first year coach.

“The strength in the team is that they hit the ball well,” said Fritz. “A weak area is passing to the setter to get set up for the hit.”

In addition to volleyball, Hovland runs in cross country, plays basketball and is a member of the track team. She is the daughter of Rob and Stephanie Hovland.