Kent-Meridian High School junior Eugena Faamausili comes from a family of volleyball players, so it’s no surprise she excels on the court.
Faamausili’s older sisters, Faith and Diana, each played for the Royals under coach Michael Christiansen.
“There is a volleyball tradition in there amongst them,” he said.
The coach likes Eugena Faamausili’s versatility on the court.
“She was a first-team all-league setter last year as a sophomore,” he said. “This year we are asking her to hit which is a totally different part of the volleyball game, but she has done outstanding. She has led our team in kills in every game that she has played. She is also leading our team in assists in every game she has played and that is a really special feat. I think she has a chance in our league – in our division of our league – to be one of the better players, not just next year, but this year.”
Faamausili is part of a core group of juniors who have played together since middle school.
“They have kind of outplayed their age a little bit,” Christiansen said. “We have won a lot of games because they have really stepped up and been good leaders on and off the court.”
The Royals have a 4-2 overall record. They open North Puget Sound League Cascade Division play on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at home against Mount Rainier.
Faamausili enjoys the team camaraderie.
“We are here to work and get better, but have fun at the same time we love to win,” Faamausili said. “We hate losing. We just want to go out there and be big and have fun and do work.”
Faamausili plays volleyball year round for Club Wahine in Des Moines and competes against some of her club teammates during high school games.
“It’s fun getting to see them play in high school compared to how they play in club,” she said.
After high school, Faamausili hopes to follow in her sisters’ footsteps and play college volleyball.
Volleyball motivates Faamausili to work hard off the court.
“It keeps me focused on my school work,” she said.
This season, she wants to become a stronger leader on the court and help take her team to the Class 4A state tournament.
“I want to help the girls when they are down to pick them back up and stay positive,” she said.
Christiansen said the Royals are off to a good start despite injuries.
“Our No. 1 priority is get healthy,” he said. “We have lot of kids injured.”
The coach expects to see a lot of improvement.
“We have a long to get where we want to be,” he said. “As long as we keep improving we should be competitive. We kind of have a tradition to keep up here. Everyone knows that we have high expectations on how we want to accomplish things. Even though we are a younger team, our expectation don’t change for our program.”
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