SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2019 | 3B
Viks
from 1B
year we were ranked 22nd
and we lost, so we knew
we were done.”
But on Wednesday, they
were back in the waiting
game.
“It’s kind of cool,”
Hornung said. “There
wasn’t an end. I appreciate
that. I also appreciate that
they want to keep playing.
On Monday, I talked to
them like this is our last
practice. The regular sea-
son ends on Tuesday,
Monday can be it. But
some of the kids were like,
‘Can we practice on
Wednesday?’ I was like,
‘Yeah, I guess if you want
to.’”
This could have been a
wrap-up interview for the
season, so Hornung remi-
nisced about the past.
“Honestly, this has been
the best season I’ve ever
coached,” he said. “The
girls went out every single
game, smiling and having
fun. This team wants to be
together, and they want to
play together. This is the
only time that I can say I
have a volleyball team that
is not six individuals, it is
one team. Win-lose-or-
draw, they go up as a team,
they go down as a team.
They are thick-and-thin,
six players that play as one.”
But that team is made up
of
individuals,
and
Hornung took the time to
talk about each one.
Senior Mia Collins is
“the quintessential volley-
ball player,” Hornung said.
“She’s been with me since I
started coaching, and I
don’t think she knows how
much she means to the
program. From seventh
grade up to the seniors, so
many people look up to
her.”
Seventh graders come
up to Hornung and say, “I
want to be like Mia. I want
JARED ANDERSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
The Siuslaw Vikings volleyball team will face Astoria this Tuesday in the opening round of state playoffs.
to hit the ball and play
defense like Mia.” But
according to Hornung,
Collins doesn’t realize her
impact on the program —
she views herself as just a
volleyball player.
“I don’t think she has
any idea that she’s convinc-
ing kids to work harder
and play club because they
see her on the court,”
Hornung said. “You can
have 50 kills a match, but
that doesn’t matter. What
matters is you going up to a
seventh grader and giving
them a hug and a high-five
and seeing that kid light
up. There’s so much more
to being a player than just
being on the court. I’m
going to miss the hell out
of her.”
He also said he was
going to miss the hell out
of senior Elissa Hurley,
who is a testament to
“busting your but and how
good you can get if you
work hard.”
During her sophomore
year, then JV player Hurley
went up to Hornung and
asked if she would make
varsity the next year. At the
level of play she was at, it
wasn’t looking good.
“She took that as moti-
vation to come to every
single open gym and every
single summer practice we
had,” Hornung said. They
worked all summer long,
dialed in her approach, and
“she played unbelievably.”
But after her junior year,
Hurley tore her ACL and
was told that it would take
a year to recuperate, miss-
ing her senior year.
“There goes volleyball,”
Hornung said. “But over
the summer, she said if she
worked hard, she might be
cleared in August. So,
there’s that shred of hope
that maybe she would play.”
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Just a week before try-
outs, she was cleared, and
went on to gain 93 kills so
far this year. Hornung
called it unbelievable.
“The legacy she going to
leave is so positive and all
these girls are going to
build off of it,” he said.
Graduating
junior
Lindsey Long doesn’t have
a cell phone, which was a
problem when Hornung
was attempting to get her
on the team this year.
“We weren’t sure if she
was going to try out, wasn’t
sure if she was going to
come back,” he said. “I get
to tryouts and she’s just
standing there, saying,
‘Hey, ready for volleyball.’ I
was so excited when I saw
her. I knew she could do it.”
Hornung called Long a
sponge for learning, going
hard after every single
practice and “just bust her
butt and working so hard
to get better. “She’ll make a
mistake, turn, and say,
‘How can I fix that?’”
For the players will be
returning next year, junior
Kya Blake was a total sur-
prise for Hornung.
“I had no idea what she
was going to be this year.
… . She’s had some huge
games. She’s one kid who, if
you’ll give her a shot, she’s
going to go for it. I’ve been
super happy with her. I
never expected her to be an
outside hitter and getting
the number of hits she did
and playing as well as is.
She’s been awesome.”
Hornung called junior
Delaney Foglio “a happy
kid and I love her to death.”
Foglio had some injuries
this year that prevented her
from finishing out varsity.
Instead, she’s been pushing
herself on JV.
“For a lot of girls, and
this has happened in the
past, when they get hurt
and moved down to JV,
they quit,” Hornung said.
“But Delany took it in
stride,” Hornung said. “My
hope is that she’ll use this
to get better, to push her-
self in the off season and
come back stronger.”
Hornung views sopho-
more Hayden Muller as a
“little version” of himself.
“She sees the court simi-
lar to how I do. She’s been
so much fun to play with
and coach,” he said. “She’s
had an awesome year.
There’s no question in my
mind that she will be the
greatest defensive player
for Siuslaw. She’s at 270
digs, which is unbelievable.
To think about how many
balls that could have been
kills, that she saved points,
is just crazy. She’s rolling
on the ground, diving. I
can’t imagine how bruised
up she is. But she’s just such
a cool kid.”
Sophomore
Zoe
Alberty’s positivity keeps
things going. After a few
games where the team was
burned out and frustrated,
Alberty came up to
Hornung and said, “Even if
we lose every game this
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season, I still think we’re
going to have a lot of fun.”
“I reminded her of that
last night after the game,
and asked her if she had
fun,” Hornung said. “She
said, ‘Oh yeah, I had a
blast.’ … Throughout it all,
she’s maintained that posi-
tivity and has maintained
that mental game of volley-
ball. I love pushing her
because she can take it and
keep going.”
Freshman Desi Tupua is
an animal on the court,
said Hornung.
“Desi exceeded every
single expectation I have
had for her,” Hornung said.
“She’s at 177 kills right now.
To think that she’s been on
varsity for less than two
months is unbelievable.
When she got a huge kill
last night, she just went
nuts. The skies the limit on
how good she can be, but I
don’t think she even knows
it. That’s my favorite part of
her.”
Finally, freshman Hailee
Outlaw has been a “breath
of fresh air.” Over the sum-
mer, Hornung talked about
getting Outlaw’s feet wet,
playing JV, learning the
ropes. Then a varsity injury
forced Outlaw to be on the
team, and she’s been killing
it ever since.
“Generally, kids who are
young don’t want to make
mistakes,”
Hornung
explained. “They don’t
want to be in those big
pressure situations, but
she’s going to swing hard
no matter what.”
But Outlaw has been
fearless.
“She has a different gear
she somehow manages to
find when she’s in a game,”
Hornung said. “When the
game starts, you know she’s
going to go hard. Every set,
she’s going to crush it. I
never expected her to be
where she is now.”
Last Tuesday night also
saw three JV players take
the court — Hali Corbin,
Gracie
Perkins
and
Alizabeth Norton — all of
whom have been working
hard throughout the sea-
son to bring the Viks where
they are now.
As for the playoffs,
Hornung said, “I don’t
think teams will know
what to expect because
we’re so young. We can
beat anyone. We can walk
into a gym, playing any
team in the state, and we
could beat them. If we’re
on fire, we can go into a
gym and win. This is a
team I think that can win. I
wouldn’t bet against us.”
Little
from 1B
What happens to this
champagne? I’m guess-
ing it’s probably con-
sumed to drown the ag-
ony of defeat.
Professional athletes
are role models for mil-
lions of young athletes.
Winning or losing is not
the time to demonstrate
the use of alcohol as a
means of expression.
Th e media seems to
relish in showing con-
troversial social issues.
Is there a responsibility
for professional leagues
to limit negative behav-
iors? Of course, there
are many players los-
ing honors and playing
time for behavior that
tarnishes their team, the
league and themselves.
Too many young ath-
letes have lost their lives
and health from alcohol,
yet champagne cele-
brations are still taking
place.
Wake up professional
leagues and limit these
wild celebratory victory
parties.