Terese Mihalcin: Senior

High School Stats (Current Season):

Service Aces: 17

Kills:127

Digs:81

Blocks:29

Top 3 in all offensive and defensive categories

Leads the team in kills and blocks

Last Season:

Kills:112

Digs:72

Blocks:57

Averaged 6pts, 6 digs, 9 kills, and 4,75 blocks per match

2016 WPIAL All-Section 1-AAA girls’ volleyball third team

2016 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Girls Volleyball Class AAAA SEction 2 All-Star Second Team

3.4 GPA

Honor Roll

Other sports: Javelin, High Jump

What inspired you to become an athlete? Who pushed/motivated you?

Ever since I was very young I have always loved sports. The excitement and thrill of it all really motivated me to continue playing. And of course being on a team and having people to have fun and laugh with made it even more enjoyable.

Who is your biggest athletic inspiration?

To be honest I think it would be my classmates and the upperclassmen who inspired me to improve and pushed me to get better every day.

Is there anything you wish you had done/tried that you never did?

There are many many things I regret not doing throughout my life. Sometimes I wish I would’ve gave basketball another try because I think if I would’ve stuck with it I would’ve liked it a lot. Although, one weird thing I always wanted to do is play the drums. To be honest I think drummers are the coolest. So if I would get the chance to start highschool all over again i would’ve joined the band/marching band and played the drums.

What is your favorite memory from being a high school athlete?

My favorite memory of would definitely be during volleyball season. Specifically, it would be when Riely fell asleep with her eyes open during Indiana camp because it was hilarious. But in general, just spending time with Adrianna, Riely, and Gabby has been so so fun. I love seeing you guys everyday at practice and games, and laughing and joking around. I’m really really gonna miss that.

How old were you when you started playing sports and what did you play?

I was probably around 7 when I started playing soccer. Then I got into school sports when I got a little older. I’m pretty sure I started basketball around 4th grade and volleyball in 5th grade. I probably started softball around 4th grade as well. Then in 8th grade I decided to try track and field. I just remember at one point I was playing all four sports at once and it got to a point where I had multiple practices a day and my parents made me quit one sport, so I chose soccer. From there I just gradually narrowed it down to volleyball.

What do you feel was your greatest strength as a player?

That’s a tough one. If we’re talking physical strengths, I’ve always been kind of a really coordinated person, like I’ve always had pretty exceptional hand-eye coordination. I picked up juggling pretty fast along with spinning a ball on my finger, but  mentally I guess I’ve always done everything I can to improve my game and give it my all at practice.

Did you ever regret a sport or activity you participated in? Explain.

No, I don’t regret any of the sports I did. I’m glad I tried so many sports. I now have an appreciation for all of them and it helped me determine the sport I’m truly passionate about, volleyball.

If you could be another athlete for a week, who would it be and why?

If I could be another athlete I would probably be the middle blocker on the Penn State Women’s volleyball team. She’s really good and I always thought it would be so cool to play on a D1 volleyball team and be on tv and all that jazz.

What drill do you most look forward to and why? What drill did you dread and why?

I think my favorite drill is two man pit and my least favorite is obviously zig zags.

Can you give your favorite quote that inspires you and explain it?

“ In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, them he who continues the attack wins. The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on. -Ulysses S. Grant

I just thought this was really cool because this was a quote Coach V gave to us earlier in the year and I think it explains perseverance very well, and sort of represents our season and how it’s going right about now.