Setting on top of the world

Senior co-captain Debby Man sets up the volleyball, and setter Amanda Hsiung, a junior, leaps up to spike it fervently, forcing the Sherwood High School players on the other side of the net to scramble to keep the ball in the air. After the ball smashes to the ground, Hsiung congratulates Man with a pat on the back.

Blair's volleyball team improved from last season's record of 7-6 to its current record, 12-2. The team is now ranked third in the county, and Hsiung has been a major part of this trend. By providing the team with precise sets and playing other positions on the court whenever possible, Hsiung has become vital to the Blazers' success.

Hsiung's leadership is evident as she walks onto the court. She is confident and vocal in encouraging and helping her team. "In practice I tend to correct people," Hsiung says. "I am very competitive, and I hate losing."

Hsiung plays on Blair's co-ed volleyball team and has also displayed her skills beyond Blair's gym, playing with the Montgomery Village Sports Association team and the Chinese Youth Club team.

Hsiung's parents, Wanda and Shang Hsiung, are both volleyball coaches. Wanda Hsiung coaches the varsity girls' volleyball team at Kennedy High School while Shang Hsiung coaches the boys' volleyball team at the University of Maryland.

Despite the early exposure to her sport, Hsiung says that initially she was not interested in volleyball. "Because my parents were coaches, people used to come up to me and say, ‘When are you going to play volleyball?'" she says. Such comments, she says, nearly turned her off to playing the sport permanently.

However, the Hsiung family's involvement with volleyball eventually helped her to lead the Blair team, according to Man. "Amanda gains a lot of knowledge about the game through her parents and clubs outside of school," Man explains.

Performing well in class as well on the volleyball court is another of Hsiung's admirable traits. Last year, Hsiung earned a cumulative GPA of 3.57. Juggling rigorous volleyball practices and academics in the spring was not easy, she says.

Hsiung hopes to continue playing volleyball after she graduates from high school. Already, she has received letters from Baylor University in Texas, but she desires to play eventually for a school in the Big East Conference.

Hsiung has been playing varsity volleyball since her freshman year. Her work earned her the Most Valuable Player award her first year on the team. During her sophomore year, Hsiung was captain of the Blair squad. Teammate Carey Bartlett believes that Hsiung will come through for the team during the last two games. "Amanda is very good when the pressure is on," says Bartlett.