Senior volleyball star and Tufts commit Celina Savage earned an iberkshires Athlete of the Week recognition earlier this year. Captain of the Mount Greylock Volleyball Team, Savage helped lead them to a MIAA State Championship victory this season. The Greylock Echo sat down with Savage to discuss her individual achievements and the team’s overall success.
*Please note this interview was conducted prior to the MIAA State Tournament Championship Game.
Echo: How did you first become interested in volleyball, and why did you stick with it?
Celina Savage: I’m tall. I used to be in dance but it was not competitive enough so I joined the volleyball team in eighth grade and I thought, ‘Wow, this is really fun and it capitalizes on not only my strength in height but also my want for competition.’
E: You were named iberkshires Athlete of the Week. How did that make you feel?
CS: I looked at that and just said, ‘yeah.’ I wanted to win it my entire high school career so I felt proud of myself and of my team for how far I’ve come as a player.
E: Speaking of the team, how do you think the season went, especially having an undefeated record?
CS: I think we’ve done well. Success has been great but there is always another game. I think we played relatively light competition this year so I think I would’ve been disappointed if this wasn’t an undefeated record. We are playing our game and doing fine, but undefeated is undefeated and we are a great team.
E: Individually, how would you describe your play this year?
CS: I personally do not think I played as well as I could’ve, but I think I have been a very effective part of the team. I could always do better, but hopefully as the tournament goes on and the competition gets higher, I will play my game and do well. I have a lot of confidence in myself and hopefully that will translate into the tournament.
E: The team went undefeated and has a Western Mass title so far this season. What is your confidence going into the home stretch and hopefully walking away with a State Championship?
CS: I think confidence-wise this year is better than others. The team here is the same team as three years ago. We are all now just older, and I think we are very comfortable with each other. The nerves are not really there with good competition because we trust each other, and there is a sense that if we can do it in practice against each other, we can do it anywhere.
