Female Athlete of the year: Sabrina Hirsch

Varsity athlete on the volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse teams: Sabrina Hirsch has taken on an integral role in Pascack Valley sports over her four years as a three-sport athlete.

Each sport comes with its unique challenges and advantages, making Hirsch a very versatile athlete in her sports and a great team player. 

In the fall season, Hirsch is a starting middle blocker on the volleyball team, a position in which her skills are used differently with every play. 

“Volleyball is fun because I love jumping, and as a middle blocker, I’m involved in almost all the plays, Hirsch said, “Whether I’m blocking on defense or getting ready to hit when we attack, I always feel involved with the game and connected to my team.” 

Hirsch maintains her competitive nature as the seasons change and she switches from volleyball to basketball.

“Basketball is intense, but I love being able to focus and execute what I need to,” Hirsch said. “I enjoy the structure and discipline, as well as the close bond I have with my teammates.”

Hirsch has been playing lacrosse for a long time, and she was one of the captains of her team this past season.

“I’ve loved lacrosse since I was little,” Hirsch said. “There’s nothing better than chasing a girl down and causing a turnover.”

Being a three-sport athlete requires a lot of dedication, time, and effort. Not only has Hirch proven her loyalty and skill through her impressive sportsmanship, but she also proved her dedication through her leadership positions as a captain of both lacrosse and basketball teams.

“It is very time-consuming and exhausting but I love it,” Hirsch said. “Even though I’m playing sports all year round, each season is different between the physical aspects and the team aspects. I definitely get stressed at times, but the exercise and distractions are good for my mental health.” 

Each season brings a new sport and new teammates, but Hirsch described how important teamwork and bonding have been for her overall sporting success and enjoyment of each sport.

“I would say in all three sports you need to be connected to your teammates because a lot of times success comes from feeding off each other’s energy,” Hirsch said. The connections come from outside practices and games when we get food, drive around, and develop close bonds. I try to be a leader my teammates can look up to and someone they can talk to or ask questions.”

Maintaining a healthy sporting schedule hasn’t always been easy for Hirsch. During her junior year, she had intense knee surgery, requiring a seven-month recovery where Hirsch was out of commission, wishing her team the best from the stands.

“I was super unhappy and felt like I was missing out on the things I loved most,” Hirsch said. “However that ended up leading to the best senior year comeback I could have ever asked for.”

Even though Hirsch was faced with many hardships, she managed to get back on her feet and have extremely successful senior seasons in each respective sport.

“I started off strong with volleyball as a go-to hitter, had a great basketball season, and ended with my best lacrosse season [yet],” Hirsch said. 

Hirsch has had a very successful athletic career at PV, and next year she is attending The Ohio State University where she plans on playing at the club level in volleyball and lacrosse.

“This whole senior year has been filled with so many great competitions and memories and was the best way to end my high school sports experience,” Hirsch said.