Starting as a freshman is no easy feat, but volleyball player Bailey Ferguson, is already breaking down barriers as Elkhorn’s starting libero. Although she is a starter, Ferguson still faces many challenges in her position.

“It’s difficult being short because it’s hard to stick my hands up for stuff that’s deep,” Ferguson said.

Most liberos are fairly short, but as a freshman, Ferguson finds it increasingly difficult to be small, especially against big and strong upperclassmen with more high school experience.

“It’s hard that there’s a lot of height difference because there’s a lot of taller seniors and bigger block,.” Ferguson said.

Volleyball may appear to only be played physically, but it also requires an abundance of mental toughness from within.

“People don’t realize that there is a mental part of the game because if you don’t believe you can do it, you can’t,” Ferguson said. “You have to be there and be checked in.”

When preparing for each game, Ferguson focuses on staying confident, but she still has some nerves to deal with.

“It’s a little bit scary but it’s also exciting going out there with nothing to lose,” Ferguson said. “I just have to tell myself that I got this and to do it for my team.”

Even in such a short time period, Ferguson has connected with her teammates and continues to as the season goes on.

“My favorite thing to do with my teammates is team bonding, we do team bonding every weekend,” Ferguson said. “Those are always fun, and it’s good to talk to the girls.”

Ferguson is hopeful that as the season goes on, her and her team will continue to improve and show a lot of growth throughout each game.

“I think we’re still growing as a team, but we’re going to keep progressing because we’ve gotten a lot better even over the summer,” Ferguson said. “We’ll get better as we go.”