As young Gian Denila stepped foot on the court for the first time at eight years old, the height of the net intimidated her, but she wanted to rise to the challenge. She started her journey in the Philippines. Denila did not picture herself ever playing volleyball, because it was a distraction from the sport she loved: tennis.

“I used to play tennis before volleyball. I didn’t even know volleyball existed. It was when my older sister didn’t want me to be on the same tennis team as her. She thought it would be a good idea for me to try out for volleyball,” Denila said.

She never pictured herself participating in volleyball, but when she stepped foot on the court to try out, she knew it was something she would have in her life for a long time.

Although Denila is very passionate about the sport, she is not sure if she is going to continue playing in college. She has her future planned out, and playing a sport in college is truly a lot of work.

“I honestly am not sure if I would be able to play volleyball in college. I have my mind set on the medical field as a career, and I just don’t think that I would have time to balance the college workload and volleyball at the same time, but if I get offered a scholarship to play then I’d take the offer and try my best to balance academics and volleyball,” Denila said.

In spite of the fact that she may not continue her career in volleyball, during her high school career she has made a huge impact on her team.

“Gian is one of our best players on the team. We could always count on her to score a point and even in tough game situations she is always willing to take a risk. The team wouldn’t be the same without her.  Not only is she a great teammate, she’s an amazing friend,” teammate Julia Gladysz said.

Many of her teammates believe she is a very important part of the team and they believe that the team would not be the same without her.

“Gian has a great attitude when she’s on the court and even when she’s not, she pumps up the team and always kills the ball whenever it’s set up for her. Without her, the team would not be complete,” teammate Stephanie Piuian said.

“Playing volleyball is my motivation to get good grades. My mom won’t let me play if my grades are low; and I know I wouldn’t be able to play if I let my grades slip,” Denila said.

It takes a lot of work for someone to balance academics and athletics. Gian is a one season athlete, but she shows a lot of dedication and determination to become better and more successful. Many people have a difficult time balancing sports and academics because they focus too much on one activity. There are many people who forget about academics overall because they are too focused on the sport they are involved in. Without good grades, it is difficult to stay in a sport because of the academic standards athletes are held to.