The Volleyball Interview: Avery Dolliver

This is the tenth article in the series The Volleyball Interview, highlighting influential high school Nebraska volleyball players of all ages and levels to get to know them on and off the court on deeper level.

Avery Dolliver is a senior at Lincoln Christian High School. She was selected to play in the 2018 Nebraska Coaches Association Volleyball All-Star match this past month. In Avery’s career at Lincoln Christian, she had 1031 kills and 727 digs. Here is my interview with Avery:

What is your favorite part of New Years?

“My favorite part of New Years is hanging out with friends and family, and watching the New Year’s Eve show on T.V.!” 

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

“My favorite holiday tradition is baking and eating Christmas cookies! I especially love tree shaped sugar cookies.”

What is your favorite thing about playing volleyball?

“This is a hard one for me because I love so many things about the game. I think the biggest thing for me is the moment after a point when you come together in the middle as a team. It doesn’t matter if we’ve scored the point and are going crazy or if we lost it and are looking to encourage and get it back, each one of those little huddles is special, and coming together in that way so frequently isn’t something you get in any other sport.”

What do you want your major to be at Sioux Falls?

“I want to major in Elementary Education. I love kids, and my family has a background in education so I’m really excited to be able to pick their brains too.”

What are you most looking forward to in college?

“I’m most looking forward to getting to be coached by my coaches. They’re so amazing and I’m excited for all of the things I’m going to learn from them both on and off the court.”

What is your favorite off the court activity and why?

“My favorite off the court activity is hanging out with friends or family. I love a good get together with some fun games and good food.”

What do you see your greatest strength to be on the court?

“I would say my greatest strength on the court is making shots and finding holes. I love to go up and pound on the ball, but because of a shoulder injury this year I had to learn to find other ways to score, and it was really good for me.”

What activities have you been involved in during high school at Lincoln Christian?

“I have played volleyball and basketball.”

What do you want young volleyball players that look up to you to know?

“To remember that mistakes are okay. Volleyball is so mental, and it’s hard to not let your mistakes bring you down, but the thing is, every point ends in someone’s mistake no matter what. Sometimes it just has to be you. I had to learn this lesson the hard way, and because of it I spent too much time not enjoying the game. Your mistakes make you better!”

What is your favorite moment in your high school volleyball career?

“My favorite moment in my high school volleyball career was when my team and I won our season opener triangular my junior year. Nobody thought we could knock off both teams, but we did, and it ended up being the star of my all time favorite season.”