Russell recesses spent perfecting overhead serve
By Michael Butler and Julie Montoya
DGM and Dos Caminos Staff
Walk across the Dos Caminos campus any day of the week during recess or after lunch and whether it’s windy, hot, or freezing, you’ll find Aliya Russell practicing her overhand volleyball serve.
Let’s let her volleyball coach Julie Montoya tell the story.
“When she first started playing volleyball, (Aliya) was not able to serve overhand,” Coach Montoya said. “I would see her every day at recess practicing her serving and passing.
“She was determined to serve overhand, and she finally did.”
But volleyball and conquering overhand serving isn’t all Aliya does.
“Aliya is very athletic and picked up on basketball very quickly, too,” Montoya said. “She was the top rebounder on our team.
“I can see Aliya continuing to play volleyball and basketball in high school. Her (high school) coaches will love her hard work, determination, focus, and perseverance.”
What does Aliya enjoy about both sports?
“I like volleyball because it is simple and it helps with other sports like tennis. I like playing basketball because it is a great workout, and you have to move around a lot. You also get to interact with others.”
Her favorite memories of the seasons?
“My favorite volleyball memory was during the game against Shadow Hills,” she said. “I had one rally with a (Shadow Hills) girl and it went back and forth like four times. On the fourth time we won a point!”
“In basketball it was against PLP when we won–it really gave us lots of confidence.”
But volleyball and basketball aren’t the only things that Aliya excels at. She is currently holding down a 3.75 GPA in the classroom with six A’s and a B.
“My favorite subject is history, because we get to learn a lot about what happened before us in history and how it shaped the way we live today,” Aliya said.
Her hobby is drawing.
“I really enjoy drawing flowers and cartoons,” Aliya said. “I also like to draw Disney cartoons.”
She also likes to read, and her favorite book is John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars.
Aliya has been pleased with her years at Dos Caminos and all the opportunities it has given her both on the court and in the classroom.
“I like Dos Caminos, because it showed us how to learn two languages. It also prepared us for high-school Spanish.
Aliya is already looking forward to high school and planning for her next challenges.
“I plan to go to SOAR High School. If I don’t get into SOAR, I would like to go to Quartz Hill,” she said. “My goal is to keep getting good grades, and spend time thinking about my career goals.
“I want to go to Harvard and become a judge.”
And if she continues to attack her subjects, classes, and other challenges the way she has both overhand serving and her grades in the classroom, then Aliya will have no problem accomplishing any goal she sets her heart to.