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SIERRA VISTA — In the throwing circle, Britney Hollabaugh needs no introduction.
But her emergence as a dominating force on the volleyball court has been gradual.
Last Thursday in the final regular season game of the season, Hollabaugh had her finest performance to date, blasting 16 kills and controlling the net in a four-set win over Casa Grande.
“She’s always been a phenomenal athlete,” Buena head coach Amy Cooper said. “Her composure and maturity has been what’s allowed her to come closer to her potential ... Even as one of our biggest girls, she’s also one of our quickest. Her volleyball potential is just beginning to be tapped.”
 Buena hitter Britney Hollabaugh warms up prior to a match earlier this season. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review) |
Because of Hollabaugh’s improved production, Buena may be a more dangerous team heading into the Class 5A Division I Regional Tournament than their 5-11 record would indicate.
To reach state, the Colts must beat Tucson High tonight at 5 p.m. in the semifinals and knock off top-seeded Salpointe Catholic in the championship Thursday night. All region games are played at Ironwood Ridge High School in Tucson.
“i think we’ll get pretty far,” Hollabaugh said. “We’ve just got to pull together. We’ve done it before and we can do it again.”
The Colts have to be encouraged by the fact that they’ve beaten Tucson and Salpointe once already this season.
“This is kind of a chance to start fresh. Everything that happened before doesn’t matter anymore,” Cooper said. “We win two matches we swing a state berth which is what our goal was at the beginning of the year.”
In the spring, Hollabaugh turns her attention to the track where she is among the very elite of throwers statewide.
Last year she placed third in the discus with a throw of 120 feet, and might have done as well in the shot put but scratched on all three throws.
She expects to win state in both events this spring and figures to get plenty of attention from college track coaches. But Hollabaugh wants to go to a school where she can both run track and play volleyball.
“I’m going to try to get track and volleyball, hopefully at a four-year school — any university that wants me,” Hollabaugh said.
If she had to choose, Hollabaugh said, she’d prefer to play volleyball at the college level.
“I like having the team effect and not having the pressure all on one person,” she explained.
Buena’s season has been one of short bursts of excellence and some terrible valleys, especially two weeks ago when the squad was mired in a nine-match losing streak. Though they haven’t turned it around completely, the Colts have played better since.
“We just needed to get our heads in the game and just pull together,” Hollabaugh said. “Sometimes we get down on ourselves.”
