Lisbon senior Mykala Luzum-Selmon is already having a standout season as she leads her team in kills and attack attempts but her contribution to her team’s success goes beyond her ability to fill the stat sheets. Her morale and her energy on the court means just as much to her team’s success as her talent.
“I’ve always had a lot of energy and passion,” says Luzum-Selmon, “Growing up I was always the loud kid in the classroom and when I started volleyball I carried that same personality onto the court with me. When I started playing at the varsity level my freshman year I realized how much I love the sport and how I wanted to give it my whole heart.”
Anyone who watches a Lisbon volleyball game not only sees the way Luzum-Selmon puts her whole heart into the game, but they can feel it too. It’s seen and felt in the way she hypes up her teammates, the way the bench explodes after a good play and the way the crowd feeds off her energy and momentum. As a senior and a captain Luzum-Selmon embraces her responsibility to lead her team and their spirit on the court.
“We’re hungry dogs, that was our saying last year. Hungry dogs run faster. I’m a crazy person, once I get hype I’m going and you can’t stop me. I know that if I give good energy the whole team is going to pick it up too and we get in the mindset of “let’s go, we’ve got this.”
Lisbon has an outstanding 11 seniors on their team this year, bringing a lot of maturity and experience to their team. Among them, Luzum-Selmon on court leadership has stood out and her positive mindset and energy has been a driving force for the chemistry of her team.
“We’re very close and even when things don’t go our way we’re able to reset. We actually hold hands during games. It’s very calming to take a minute to hold hands with your teammate and be like “we’re fine, let’s reset, you can get to the next point really easily.”
“The past couple of weeks we’ve been having really hard practices and it’s nice to know that I have people on this team that I can lean on and look towards them to lift me up and that they know I’m there for them too and that none of us are alone.”
Lisbon has a 6-2 record so far this season and is tied for first in their conference standings. During their match against Cedar Rapids Washington on September 11th Luzmon-Selmon recorded 12 kills and six digs, paving the way for her team’s victory.
Lisbon head coach Lance Kamaus talks about what it means to have a player like Luzmon-Selmon on his team, “She brings so much to what we do as a group, she’s a kid who loves to play volleyball and that energy rubs off on everyone. You see some kids in high school who when they have success, they’re happy, and then when there’s team success they don’t really care. Mykala though she’s the same way no matter who is scoring the points, and I love that. She’s a phenomenal kid to have on the floor.”
As Lisbon’s season progresses both Luzum-Selmon’s ability to fill the stat sheet as well as her energy and passion that doesn’t show up on the box score will play a vital role in how far the Lions go this year.