Mia McCaffrey

Senior Mia McCaffrey’s favorite team memory was the team bonding sleepover that all three volleyball teams did together her freshman year, where they played hide and seek all around the school. This favorite memory connects with the thing she has enjoyed the most playing for La Salle — the team. 

McCaffrey believes “that we have special relationships with each other and it’s just fun every season,” she said. She enjoyed hanging out with the team between school and practices and on the bus to away games.

Coming into La Salle, McCaffrey’s goal was to make the JV team as a freshman, which she did. She then wanted to make varsity, and wasn’t expecting to make it her sophomore year but ended up achieving this goal. Another goal McCaffrey had was to grow her knowledge of the game. “My coaches have helped me do that throughout my four years here,” she said. 

McCaffrey has been playing volleyball since the first grade and has been playing competitively for six years. A big takeaway from her volleyball experience at La Salle is something her coach told her, which was to focus more on the present.

Her junior year on the varsity volleyball team was challenging. The season was shorter and she got less time with the team “which was sad because I really liked our seniors,” she said. They were also unable to play in any tournaments. 

High school volleyball is something that McCaffrey believes to be beneficial because it gave her something to think about besides school while staying connected to La Salle. Being a senior and a floor captain — someone who’s always on the court and rallies the team- on the volleyball team has allowed her to grow into a leader. 

“It was definitely a different role for me because I’m not the biggest leader,” she said. 

McCaffrey is happy with what the team was able to accomplish this season. In a tournament, #8 5A La Salle volleyball beat #2 6A Bend Senior High School, ending Bend’s winning streak. La Salle finished the season with an overall record of 19-6 and finished tied for first in the Northwest Oregon Conference.

McCaffrey said that ending the season this way was a little disappointing as they had to face the number one ranked team, West Albany, in the quarterfinals. But, “I thought we played really hard in our last game and that was something we don’t always do,” she said. “To see everybody on the court give it their all was really special.”