Addison Griswold

Freshman Grace Bengfort poses for a photo Aug. 6 in Room 151. Bengfort has been playing volleyball for five years. “Volleyball is a good way to release stress and get my mind off things,” Bengfort said.

Freshman Grace Bengfort enters the hot, sweaty gym giddy. But mostly ready to show everyone what she could do. 

Bengfort walks through the athletic entrance with her sister, Claire Bengfort, in tow. When they get to the gym doors Claire immediately dashes to her group. 

Bengfort can’t help but to “sort of stand there” awkwardly. She went to sit down close to Claire’s group, talking about how excited they were to be there together again. 

Bengfort tried to let her fear subside. She had to focus on volleyball. 

Her outlet. 

Her sport. 

“It’s just a great way for me to relax and play I obviously love,” Bengfort said.

They were running hitting lines. 

It was Bengfort’s turn to hit outside. She went up and slammed the ball down — an “amazing kill.”

Claire and her whole friend group erupted in cheers, all screaming and yelling in celebration. She was “overjoyed” to know that these girls had all that excitement from just one of her hits. 

Bengfort gets onto the court, and goes straight to outside, for Hitter v.s. Hitter. 

It is a drill you run with a full court on each side, and the only way to score is to get a hit or a block. But the only people that it counts for the position picked. So if the middle gets a kill but you’re running right-side, it doesn’t count.

Bengfort is getting ball after ball. Hit after hit. Block after block. 

Her swings looked great, her form immaculate. And even though she makes some mistakes, so does everyone else, so there’s no pressure. Bengfort goes up and up and up. And as she contacts the ball, she falls with it. 

Only her hit went out. 

Coach Jonathan Scott jokes to Bengfort, “Maybe keep it in next time!”

She laughs with everyone else — not one person laughing at her. 

Bengfort knew tryouts would be tough, they determined everything. What team you’re on. What girls you will be with every day after school for the next two and a half months. They could even create your friend group. 

They’re stressful for everyone, even girls who know they’ll be on a team. 

Girls like Bengfort.

Bengfort would have weeks to worry about tryouts, though. In these moments all she’s thinking about are the girls she’s met and gotten close with.

Bengfort knew that going into high school, and tryouts, she’ll have these girls with her. No matter what happens, they’ll be there for her whether it was a drive to Starbucks after weights, blasting country music on the way, or simply spilling the drama for the day.

Bengfort knew she would make friends with girls in her class. But until school started, she had only Daisy Jenkins, a sweet girl, from St. Joseph grade school, and the volleyball girls. 

She could only hope Claire would be ok with that. That volleyball and her friends wouldn’t come between them. After all, they weren’t just sisters, they were best friends, right? 

No. If they got on the same team they would figure it out. She was sure of it. 

“The subject would just be a little touchy,” Bengfort said.

She had met all these people, and after the Starbucks trips, the small hangouts, and even the chit-chat, they became more than just her sister’s friends. 

They were her friends now, too.

And Bengfort was ready. She was ready, not only for tryouts but to start high school.