SCRIPPS RANCH
–
Most Western League volleyball players already know this. Alissa Alker wants to beat you, and she'll do whatever it takes.
Alker, a senior opposite hitter for Scripps Ranch High, goes beyond simply out-hitting her opponents. She'll out-serve, out-pass and out-hustle them. The Falcons have used Alker as a utility player, moving her around the court to accentuate her strengths.
“She's such a great athlete – very quick, very strong – and we really need her for offense and for setting,” Scripps Ranch coach Ronni Olsen said. “So we adjusted our offense in order to capitalize on all of her strengths.”
Alker recognized early in her high school career that to become an outstanding player, one who could take her game to the next level, she had to diversify her talents. Playing a variety of positions has helped Alker gain a better grasp of the game.
“Once I started to realize how many things were (happening) on the court, I realized I needed to step up and help my team out,” said Alker, who has accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Delaware. “It totally opens your eyes and opens you to another world. It doesn't mean anything if you can just do one thing.”
Alker's drive on the volleyball court can be seen in other activities. She is a black belt in taekwondo, a member of Scripps Ranch's Associated Student Body government, a Girl Scout and a volunteer for March of Dimes.
She credits older sister Ashely for inspiring her to lead an active lifestyle, as well as encouraging her to try volleyball. Ashely was a standout water polo player for Scripps Ranch before attending the University of California Santa Barbara.
“I really wanted to know what I was going to do for my future and hopefully I could play a sport that could get me through college,” Alissa said. “(Ashely's) boyfriend played volleyball and it just looked really fun, so I tried out and loved it.”
Ashely, who is studying in Cyprus through a Harvard University graduate program, is proud of the girl her sister has become.
“Alissa is far more mature than any 16-year-old you will ever meet,” Ashely said via e-mail, “but most of Alissa's maturity simply stems from the giving, driven, athletic, intelligent and beautiful young lady that Scripps Ranch has had the privilege to call their own.”
Alissa Alker acknowledges that she is competitive in almost everything. Whether it's volleyball, swimming (her first favorite sport) or seeing who can put up streamers for homecoming the fastest, she wants to come out on top. Alker, a three-year varsity starter, earned second-team all-league honors last year. She is a captain for the Falcons this season, earning all-tournament recognition at last week's Scripps Ranch Tournament.
Attending school in Delaware will be a challenge for Alker. Like her globe-trotting sister, she will be far from home. Yet few are doubting she's up to the task.
