They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. Yet Julianne Henkel challenged that concept and prevailed. She worked 24/7 for an entire summer and has become such a reliable and dependable piece of the court for the Branford volleyball team.

The Branford junior played tennis, gymnastics, dance, and swimming growing up before getting involved in singing and theater–both of which she still takes part in. While also sticking with tennis, Julianne got involved in volleyball in eighth grade.

While she admitted she had a rough start as a freshman, Julianne was pushed by Branford volleyball Head Coach Mike Martone with an opportunity at the varsity spotlight, if she put in the time and effort to improve her craft. Julianne bought into it in the most productive way and has now become one of the more standout setters in the SCC as a junior.

“After Coach Martone presented me with the opportunity, I worked in the gym and became a whole different player. I also think the hand-eye coordination from tennis helped me in volleyball,” says Julianne. “My success has come from my drive; I like to be good at things. I worked in the gym, did camps, and private lessons. I sacrificed so much time during my summer after freshman year, and I always had a volleyball in my hands. I was so dedicated to improving that summer.”

Speaking further to the gains she has made since her rookie year, Julianne notices that her hands have become more well-adapted to the position, thanks to the countless hours she has put in around a net. She has also gotten a sharper vision for the court in how to place the ball, while having the scars and bruises to verify her hustle on defense.

“My hands for setting have gotten so much better, and I have gotten a lot faster and quicker,” says Julianne. “I have also gotten better at finding angles and blocks, and setting the players up on the correct side for a kill. My defense has improved a lot, and defense is more about mentality than skill.”

Julianne explains that as the setter and being the medium between a Hornets’ reception of the ball and a kill, it can be tough to take balls on a rough angle. The endurance the job requires can tend to take a toll on her, but it is more than worth it for the satisfaction of contributing to a winning point and the growth of her squad as a whole.

“It can be tough having to make the pass or play on a hard hit ball. It also involves a lot of running,” Julianne says. “Yet it is very rewarding when you give them a good pass that sets up for a kill. I love watching my teammates succeed, and I love my front row.”

While she felt a tremendous amount of pressure being thrust into the varsity spotlight as a sophomore, Julianne learned some sound coping mechanisms mentally to weather the storms of physical errors. When things appear to break down, she takes a step back and focuses on the little things that make the game feel more elementary.

“I like to bring things back to the basics when things are not going well,” says Julianne. “It was tough as a sophomore playing on varsity and making mistakes. But now, I have worked on being more calm and breaking things down to the simplest form I can. I also want the ball at all times with my position, and so you have to have that mentality that you are willing to go for the ball.”

As Martone has seen Julianne grow and mature tremendously over the last two years, he simply marvels at the drastic transformation he has seen. She took full advantage of the chance he presented her, and in the process, she became one of the most proficient setters with an unbridled passion for the floor.

“Julianne is a high motor player who is very passionate about the game. She joined the team as a freshman who never played before. At the culmination of that season, she asked what she can do over the summer to become a player at the varsity level. I mentioned we would need a setter in the years to come and pointed out she had good hands and should consider that position. To her credit, she took that insight and ran with it,” says Martone. “She started varsity as a sophomore and put up big assist numbers. That passion has only grown, and it reflects in her game play and leadership on the floor. The elevation of her game at such a tremendous pace is nothing short of admirable and impressive at the highest level. Julianne will be a force at the setter position for us over the next two years, and I know she will continue that growth and success at the collegiate level.”

As she begins to dive deeper into her first year as an upperclassman, Julianne has her mind set on a big personal statistical goal. But more importantly, she just wants to be that steady player that can push her colleagues up to grander success.

“For me personally, I would like to reach 1,000 career assists. I know I can do it with hard work,” Julianne says. “I also want to be the most consistent player I can be and do my part to help my team and get my hitters good balls. For our team, we can get to states and go far if we work hard. We have a team with a lot of people new to varsity, so we have a new group. Yet we are meshing well together so far, and we will get faster with our game I feel as the year goes on.”