The Chargers women’s volleyball team were missing key players that day against the Douglas College Royals. Two powers were injured; a middle had dislocated one of her fingers. Coach Chris Dahl had considered second-year right side Hilary Graham as an outside hitter, but these depletions meant other players had to try different positions.
“We had to step up to fill those starters,” says Graham, who was later named Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) Women’s Volleyball Athlete of the Week for her part in that victory.
A tall and strikingly beautiful young woman with clear eyes and a friendly smile, Graham moves with grace common to many athletes who have spent a life lived on the balls of their feet. Graham was very active when she was young and spent a lot of time watching a friend’s sister play volleyball. Then, when she got a bit older, she realized the social value of sport.
“I was really awkward when I was younger,” she says. “In grade 10 my team that year won the island finals and I clicked mentally at that point. That win gave the sport that extra ‘oh, wow, this is really funŃI want to keep doing this’ factor.”
Graham answers questions about her own achievements by first emphasizing how important her team is to her own performance. When asked how it felt to win the PACWEST award, her humility is overwhelming.
“I felt it wasn’t my doing; it was my team that lifted me up and helped me to succeed,” she says. “The coach told the setter to give me more volume, the other girls on the team were passing well; it gave me the opportunity to have a one-on-one situation with the blocker.”
That coach may have told the players what to do, but he’s not taking all the credit for Graham’s recognition.
“Hilary clearly has talent,” says Dahl. “In the two years I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Hilary, she has also shown a remarkable commitment to the kinds of training behaviours I think extremely successful people exhibit.”
All the accolades in the division don’t mean much if no one’s there watching the games, though. Graham stresses that playing a good game is important but so is having an audience to play for.
“A player has a relationship with the crowd,” she says. “Hearing the cheering gives an entertaining quality to the experience. You’re doing what you love and that feeling is shared.”
As for the future, Graham hopes to continue being involved in the field that she loves, mentioning that she enjoys working with kids in a sports setting.
“Watching a kid succeed at a skill they’ve been struggling with and seeing that satisfaction on their face, that’s really rewarding.”