Hello and welcome to the Carrollton Post’s new feature, Spotlight! Spotlight was created so we can learn more about some very special members of our community and their contributions.
For the first issue of Spotlight, let us introduce…*cue the drumroll*… the Varsity Volleyball Seniors! Kailyn Althage, Dani Medina, Olivia Recio, and Olga Rocio Rivas helped usher their team to many victories including a Dig Pink victory for the varsity team.
This season, the varsity team had a win to lose ratio of roughly 12-10, meaning they won 12 games and lost 10. The team continued Carrollton’s legacy as a powerhouse volleyball team in the district but the season ended with a loss against Ransom competing for the last spot in Regionals.
”The thing I loved the most this year’s season would be the team. Even though we didn’t make it to regionals, I still had a lot of fun and will miss the team tremendously,” said Olivia Recio ‘22.
After a challenging 2020 season, these seniors appreciated how much better the 2021 season was than last year. “What I loved most about this season was actually getting to have friends and family come to games. Last year was really sad for the seniors since each player could only have two guests, but we got lucky this year and got to have all our friends and family at Dig Pink and Senior Night,” said Dani Medina ‘22
Each with a different position (but equally important), all the seniors have such an incredible love for the sport.
#9, Kailyn Althage, Setter 
Kailyn joined the Junior High volleyball team in 6th grade, of which her dad, Matt Althage, was the coach. Kailyn told us that as she watched the older girls play volleyball, she aspired to do the same. When she got to 8th grade, Kailyn was offered a position on the Upper School JV team. She continued playing on the JV team until she made varsity her junior year. Kailyn never played on a club team however, she always put 100% effort into all of her sets. As a final message to her team, Kailyn said, “Thank you for making practices worth going to. You guys definitely have made this season a fun one.”
#2, Dani Medina, Libero
Dani first started playing volleyball in 6th grade in her middle school, St. Hugh. She wanted to play a sport but wasn’t very good at other sports so she decided to give volleyball a try and ended up being a great player. Wanting to develop her skills, Dani participated on both the St. Hugh team and a club team. New to Carrollton her freshman year, Dani took a break from competing in order to focus on academics. Finally, in her sophomore year, Dani returned to club and school volleyball where she has now been playing for the past two years. Dani is currently on the varsity volleyball team and one of the captains.
#6, Oli Recio, Opposite hitter 
Olivia started playing volleyball in 7th grade. Originally she wanted to do cross country, but later realized she did not enjoy the sport so she decided to give volleyball a chance. Olivia made the Junior High JV team and quickly fell in love with the sport. She continued playing for the school in 8th grade and even started playing club volleyball. However, when she got to the Upper School, Olivia was cut from the volleyball team. Although disappointed, she kept her head up and continued practicing and improving, and in 10th grade, she made the Upper School JV team. Olivia kept her spot on the JV team through 11th grade and is currently on the varsity volleyball team. In her final message to her team, Olivia said, “It’s sad that it’s ending, but I had a lot of fun and made lots of memories.”
#14, Olga Rocio Rivas, Opposite/Outside hitter
Wanting to play a sport, Olga decided to try volleyball and began her career in 5th grade. In 6th grade, she tried out and made it on the Junior High JV team. To improve her skills, Olga also joined a volleyball club outside of school. In 8th grade, she made the Junior High varsity team and became one of the captains. Olga was on the Upper School JV team in 9th and 10th grade, then played on the Upper School varsity team her junior and senior years. In Olga’s final message to her team, she said, “Thank you for giving me such a fun last season that I will always remember.”
