Athlete of the Week: Katya Scocimara

If you’ve been to an Exeter volleyball game, you’ve seen Katya Scocimara spike the ball. One of the most distinguished hitters in the league, Scocimara has shattered school records and helped Exeter volleyball win the New England Championship.According to senior and volleyball co-captain Michelle Bosché, last year as a new upper, Scocimara was blowing minds. “We were in awe of her skills and her talents,” Bosché said. “We knew that this girl was going to make us win.”Almost a year later, as a senior and captain of the girls’ varsity volleyball team, Scocimara is coming back stronger and faster, hoping to lead the Academy through another victorious season.On the court, Scocimara excels at helping players as friends while balancing her leadership role as captain. Coach Bradley describes her as “a great leader—strong and knowing how to communicate well with the team.” She elaborated that although Scocimara has seniority, she does not take advantage of her status and “knows how to control the team without being too aggressive.”Her team spirit and compassion stems from an early and unusual start to volleyball. Originally a basketball player, swimmer and soccer player, Katya picked up volleyball in the backyard with her father, who taught her the basics of the game. In the fifth grade, she began playing competitively, after successfully trying out for a local Californian team.“Volleyball taught me at a young age the importance of teamwork,” Scocimara said. “I personally believe that a lot of other sports are extremely individual, and volleyball is really unique because you need all six players to function properly.”Scocimara constantly works to improve. “She’s working hard,” coach Bruce Shang said, “trying to work harder than anyone else in the room.” Scocimara credits this persistence to the setbacks she faced while playing on the West Coast. “There was one team back home that was the best in our region, and I’d go to all the games, watch everything, and I was so set on being part of their team, I tried out three times,” Scocimara said.After missing twice, both by close margin, Scocimara maintained her optimism. “The second time, this other girl and I were fighting for a spot that I ended up losing,” Scocimara said. “The next year I was determined to work as hard as I could and to show to the coach that I was a good enough player to be on this team.”Making the team on her third try taught Scocimara the reward of persistence. “Even after making the team, I was one of four outside hitters, all of them better than me, so it was very humbling for me to realize that for me to get

playing time I had to work really hard,” Scocimara said. Not the best anymore, she had to make many sacrifices and learn to be supportive while on the sidelines.Having switched to many volleyball clubs in the past, Scocimara is no stranger to being new, and is using her experiences to guide the team. “Coming in as a new player last year,” said Scocimara, “I really appreciated when I made a dig or a kill, when Michelle, Brooke or Rachel, people I didn’t know at all would yell across the court ‘Good job, Katya!’”She has emulated this habit by reaching out to the new players, trying to make everyone feel appreciated. Lower Chloe Scocimara, Scocimara’s younger sister, agreed. “Katya is caring, powerful, strong and a great leader, and she displays these traits on and off the court,” Chloe Scocimara said. “She high fives me if I play well and makes me feel better if I mess up.”Manager Cesar Zamudio highlighted Scocimara’s ability to console the team. “There’s always times when you can miss a serve or just need to get picked up,” Zamudio said. “Katya’s always the one picking people up, whether it’s on the court, the bench, whatever.”Zamudio hopes to learn from Scocimara and bring the same level of compassion to the boys team. “I always want to pick people up because she does it, and she does it so well,” Zamudio said. “She’s always clapping or saying you got this or what they could fix, always cheering on people whether it’s on the ground literally or emotionally.”

Scocimara leads by example in other regards, always pushing herself in the gym and embedding a competitive nature into the team. “She’s a winner, she wants to win,” Shang said. “She’s working on and off the court to make the team better, by working harder everyday in practice, getting the girls to compete during practice.”“She works harder than almost anyone I know. She’s almost always in her room studying, but she balances it well with her social life: she’s a great friend,” Bosché said. “She never gets mad if she’s too busy, she never complains about anything. You never know that part of her, because she holds it in and deals with it so well. It’s almost like she’s never having a bad time.”Although Scocimara has a very goofy side, she plays with unrivaled intensity on the court, constantly challenging herself to be better. “I fight for my team,” Scocimara said. Through all of this, she carries herself with intense humility, rarely revealing the variety of school records she has broken including most number of slams in a single game.When asked about the upcoming season, she remains optimistic and realistic. “I don’t think we’re as strong as last year—we had many seasoned players last year, but I am excited about the skills and the talent that we have and what we can help develop. And the binding of the team.”Together, her unique blend of traits not only yield a seasoned volleyball veteran and captain, but also a bubbling, compassionate friend. “She’s like an onion,” Bosché said. “Full of layers.”