Q&A with Claire Segner
Looking to push herself to the next level, Claire Segner tells Prep Dig about her volleyball career thus far as she heads into her senior season. 1. What are your goals heading into your senior season? Goals heading into my…
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Continue ReadingLooking to push herself to the next level, Claire Segner tells Prep Dig about her volleyball career thus far as she heads into her senior season.
1. What are your goals heading into your senior season?
Goals heading into my senior year would probably be to just have fun on and off the court with the team and leaving everything on the court each game.
2. How did last years season go for your team and you individually?
The 2018 season for us was a good season. We ended with a 16-10 record playing several top class AAA schools. We were able to stick with them throughout the set but would drop it at the last second. When we would take those good losses though the results could have gone either way. Last years season our team was able to connect really fast which I think helped our team with our matches. Overall I think that my junior year was my favorite season but I still have my senior year to finish. Individually I think I had a pretty good season. I played Libero all season long and finished with 49 Service Aces and 302 Digs.
3. How do you feel you have evolved from freshman to senior year as a player and as a person?
From my Freshman to Senior year I have definitely changed as a person and as a player. As a person I would say It has brought me so many friendships on and off the court and I am very grateful for that. As a player I have learned that mistakes are a road to success for me. Everyone makes mistakes but you just have to learn that when it happens you are teaching yourself a way to make yourself a better player.
4. Who or what has inspired you the most throughout your volleyball career?
My coaches are always inspiring me to be the best that I can be and that has helped me to be the player that I am today.
5. How did you end up playing for Vital Volleyball Volleyball? What made Vital Volleyball the right choice for you?
I started playing for Vital Volleyball Volleyball my 8th grade year. At the time I was playing varsity along with three of my other friends. I was unable to try out for 14s at Vital Volleyball so Ryan Stuntz, who is the the club director and a coach for Vital Volleyball , actually came to some of my high school varsity game to see what I could really do. I really do think that Vital Volleyball was the right choice for me because the coaches there are super nice and they are all pushing you to play your best. The girls that are in the gym with you are all nice and push you to get better as well. I would say that the whole atmosphere at Vital Volleyball is great and looking back today there’s no other club I would have chosen to play for.
6. Is volleyball your sole commitment, or are there other athletics/activities that you’re involved in? If you’re a multi-sport athlete, how do you feel that helps you overall as a young athlete?
I am a two sport athlete. I also play softball for my high school team and for a club ball team called Chaos. Being a 2 sport athlete keeps me in the best shape that I could be in and keeps me constantly moving which I love. The two sports that I have played over the years are very different from one another. I think being able to switch from one to another is not easy but sometimes we have to make it work.
7. When it comes to support, who do you feel are your biggest supporters and how have they motivated you to be the competitor that you are today?
My biggest supporters would have to be my family. My family is always wanting to come support and even if they can’t come they find a way to watch or know every play by play. The biggest supporters of them all would have to be my mom and dad. They are the ones that used to drive me to practices when I was younger and come to all my matches. Another supporter would be my club coach, Ryan Stuntz. He is always there for me on and off the court. Everyone who has supported me has motivated me in a way. My parents are pushing me to become the best athlete that they know I can be. Stuntz is also always pushing me to be my best. He teaches me new skills that can help me with the future matches to come.
8. What fuels you to play at the collegiate level?
Playing at the collegiate level is just another level of play that I get to push myself at. That’s what I love about the game of volleyball.
9. Have you committed to playing anywhere at the collegiate level? Do you plan to?
I am currently an uncommitted 2020 L/DS. But yes, my plan and hope is to play somewhere at the collegiate level.
10. What are some things that have impacted your playing career thus far, positively or negatively? (i.e injuries, coaching changes, switching positions, joining club volleyball, moving, etc.)
The positive things that have impacted me the most would have to be joining Vital Volleyball . Without it, I don’t think I would be at the playing level that I am at today. Vital Volleyball has helped me develop new skills and fix old bad habits that would have never been changed if it weren’t for the program. Another positive for me would be the changing my position. From when I was younger to my 14s year at Vital Volleyball I was an outside hitter and standing as one of the taller girls on my team. After that year, I knew I was not going to be on the taller side so I decided to stick to a different specialty that I knew I could do. That is the Libero/Defensive Specialist position which I have fallen in love with so I am glad with that change.
11. What advice would you give to the underclassmen as you enter your last year of high school volleyball? What will you miss most?
Advice that I would give to the underclassmen coming into high school season is: no matter what, enjoy it while you can because those four years of high school will go by faster than you will think. When you are playing on the court smile and enjoy it because most the time you are playing with your friends and you may even play against friends that you may know from other schools. There are so many things that I can think of that I will miss about my high school season. The thing I will miss most would definitely be playing with my best friends on the court. Also, the bus rides where we blast the music and sing along, the Marshall tournament, and the student sections