By working hard to achieve her dream of playing for a Division 1 college, Faith Krabbe, freshman, earned her spot on the varsity volleyball team this 2016 season at MHS.
“I didn’t care what team I made; all I wanted to do was play volleyball. I definitely left it in Coach [George] Dressen’s hands. He asked me to play up on varsity, and I took the opportunity,” Krabbe said.
Krabbe has always worked hard to improve her skills and doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. One of her dreams is to get a scholarship to Purdue University to play volleyball, similar to what her dad accomplished.
“My dad has always been a role model to me. He played on varsity football when he was a freshman, too,” she said. “He continued on to play football at Purdue on a full-ride. I always wanted to be like him.”
Although she wishes to play the rest of high school and in college, she does not have a desire to play professionally after her college experience is over.

Her mom has played a big role in her experience, also.
“She always pushed me to play because she could tell I wanted to get better,” she said.
Like most serious athletes, she began playing sports very young.
“At first I played volleyball at Quentin Road Preschool. After that, I didn’t play until I went to school at St. Francis,” she said. “I played there in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade. I finally decided to join Sky High Volleyball Club when I was 12 years old.”

Not only is Krabbe a good player, but she has a good attitude and is a good leader throughout the games, as noted by her teammates.
“Faith knows how to keep the energy high during games, and even though she is a freshman on a team filled with upperclassmen, she fits right in and does not have any trouble taking control of plays,” said Senior Tess Pribyl, a teammate of Krabbe’s.
Krabbe’s good attitude and friendliness aren’t the main reasons she made varsity; it was her skill and dedication to the game.
“Faith is a great, hard-working player and a really strong asset up at the net. She is a strong blocker, which is a big help to our defense as she is able to put balls down on the other side before they even cross the net,” said Pribyl. “And when she goes up for a tight ball, she is able to reach high around the block and tip it in the right spot on the other side to score us a key point.”

Pribyl isn’t the only one who has good remarks about Krabbe. Taylor Heath, a sophomore on the team, said, “When Faith came onto the varsity team, I was truly amazed at her abilities and how well she bonded with the team so quickly. She obviously is incredibly talented in her volleyball skills as she is the only freshman on the varsity team. The first day Faith came onto the team she immediately clicked with all the girls and was seen as an equal. Faith is not just a great player, but she’s a great teammate as she has always been positive and encouraging [to] others. Overall, our team is a better team with Faith on it, and I can’t wait for more years of playing with her.”

Despite the positive feedback she receives from her teammates, Krabbe’s volleyball experience has not been easy.

“I went through a lot in middle school and club. No one would talk to me, and I wasn’t sure if any of my teammates even liked me. My teammates on this team are a lot different from my previous experiences,” said Krabbe. “Everyone treats each other like sisters.”

This year is different for her, then, when it comes to team bonding. She’s not used to having constant dinner parties and hanging out with teammates.

Some people might think it’s awkward for Krabbe to be a freshman on a team dominated by upperclassmen, but Krabbe says it hasn’t been.

“It’s been easy,” Krabbe said. “It was definitely scary at first because I’m coming to this team as a freshman who barely knows anyone while most of my teammates know each other already. But, all of my teammates are nice and supportive.”

Krabbe did mention that it is weird sometimes hearing them talk about college and seeing them drive themselves to various volleyball events, whereas her mom still has to drive her everywhere.

Like most other sports at MHS, Krabbe needs to maintain good grades in order to continue playing on the team.

“So far it has been easy and difficult. Coach Dressen wants us all to keep good grades, nothing lower than a C. It is hard right now because I have some of my harder classes, but I can always get help from a teammate if I need it,” Krabbe said.

No matter what struggles she faces throughout her day, she just remembers “not to give up when things get hard” and looks forward to when she “gets a perfect set and the hitter gets a kill because [she] knows [she] did her job right.”