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10/16/2015 12:00 AMCia Mirrione discovered that volleyball was a sport which plays to her physical strengths and those attributes are helping the Indians spike themselves up the SCC ladder with one of their best starts in program history.
Cia, a junior middle hitter, started with gymnastics at age 10, while also playing basketball. After being convinced by her friends to take to the net in 7th grade, Cia earned herself a starting spot on Guilford’s varsity squad as a sophomore last fall. Now in 2015, Cia has emerged as an offensive force on the floor who has 79 kills in 34 sets for her 12 matches with the Indians, who sport a record of 12-1.
“I fell in love with the sport because I felt it went with my abilities due to my background in gymnastics in that I could jump high, along with good upper-body strength. I also love the competitive, but team-filled environment,” says Cia. “We have amazing setters in [juniors] Jill Wirth and Caroline Wienkamp, who are great in connecting with me. I often try to look at the other side of the court and see where the holes are. I try to hit the ball strategically and see where is the best spot to place it.”
In further explaining her game-plan for posting points, Cia says that even though she’s often staring up at some tall tasks across the net, she has a method which helps her cut down any obstacle.
“I look at the blocker on the other side and it’s usually versus a tall one and I just try to hit around their hands,” Cia says. “When I tip the ball, I also look to see if there is someone behind the blocker to tip it back and so it’s also about seeing where my teammates are positioned.”
Cia has additionally provided the Indians with some exemplary service by firing 27 aces en route to a 92.2 serving percentage thanks to a routine that can be boiled down to simple self-assurance.
“Before each serve, I tell myself over and over again that I can make the serve. I talk to myself before each one because serving is the part of the game I can control,” says Cia. “I also slow down my heartbeat and relax because, when I’m rushing things, I tend to make mistakes. Muscle memory also plays a big part in it, as well.”
Stepping into the varsity spotlight as a sophomore might be a daunting challenge for some athletes, however, Cia benefited from that experience, while growing both as a competitor and an influential teammate.
“Last year was an amazing experience in playing with the older girls. Playing with those better than you helps to make you become more knowledgeable and a stronger player,” Cia says. “It helped get me where I am now and also be a better leader. Being around not only experienced girls, but also leaders, really helped me become a better person.”
Based on Cia’s robust numbers and her diligent approach to the game, Indians’ Coach Laura Meyer feels that her big hitter owns unlimited potential.
“She has made her presence known in the middle, she is very consistent, and is always good for a point,” says Meyer. “She brings a lot of energy to the court and is fun to watch. She is eager to learn and very coachable. Cia is only a junior and will continue to improve and be a huge presence next year, as well.”
The familiarity amongst Guilford’s athletes has also contributed to the squad’s strong mark. Cia explains that the Indians will only get tougher as the campaign wears on by giving their opponents less and less leeway.
“As a team, we’ve also done well with digging up balls. We just click as a team. We’ve all been playing together for so long and so we know how we play together and can read each others’ minds out there,” says Cia, who thanks her family and Coach Meyer. “We didn’t go undefeated like we wanted to, but we want to keep doing well and improving. We will try to lessen mistakes because, generally, that’s how teams score points on us. So if we can do that, then we will improve greatly.”