I get a lot more playing time than I have in the past. I think it has made me a lot better player, getting in there more and getting to go against all of the hitters on the other team instead of just one.

I'm used to it. I'm used to kind of getting shoved in the back row behind the hitters. I like it. I wouldn't want to do anything else. I love playing defense.

Right after Jen [Jennifer McNamara] got hurt and we came back and won the tournament [Ryan Kickoff Classic], that was amazing. That showed us that we can win if we play as a team, no matter who's out there on the court. We've really switched people around — everybody plays everywhere at different times. We've just been able to really pull together as a team because we have a common goal.

In years past, we've won one or two [district] games per year. We've known that we've had talent every year. We've just never been able to put it together and play as a team. This year we've played as a team. Everybody's so excited about going to the playoffs. We just want to keep that hope alive.