By Rick Assad
Kiana Hildebrandt is a throwback athlete who prefers to let her performance speak for itself, but like any person, sometimes feels apprehensive before walking onto the volleyball court.
The Burroughs High senior middle blocker isn’t alone and has the support of her teammates and coaching staff which is a huge relief.
“I do get nervous and anxious before matches. To calm myself down, I think about the positives that can come from playing with my teammates and enjoying the sport, rather than stressing about the negatives,” admitted Hildebrandt, who has played six seasons of club volleyball and hopes to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder and major in Business and pre-law. “Additionally, I will find comfort from my peers on the court, and we all help each other.”
For the last two seasons, Hildebrandt has been on the varsity and has quietly shined and also thrived including this campaign when the Bears went 18-13 overall and 6-4 for third place in the Pacific League.
The previous campaign, Burroughs carved out a 14-16 mark and 8-6 in league for fourth and lost to West Ranch in three sets in a Division IV opening-round match.
“I think what makes me stand out is my dedication and self-discipline to play hard for not only every game but also every practice,” she said. “I think that I have a high standard to consistently be the best player I can be whether that is on the court during an important game, or just practice after school. I never take a play off.”
The Bears began the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoff journey with a five-set win versus visiting Northwood where Hildebrandt finished with a team-best 13 kills.
Hildebrandt, who wears two different color tennis shoes, pink and blue, had a loftier goal and that was also met.
“My expectation for this year’s team is to make it to the second round of playoffs,” she said but ultimately saw her team fall short after losing a four-setter to host Millikan.
Hildebrandt is no stranger to important matches and important victories.
“I think the biggest or most important matches that I have been involved in this year are Crescenta Valley and Arcadia games,” she said. “I approached them differently with the mindset of using more strategy than power.”
Hildebrandt added: “Recently we played five teams and won the championship in the gold division,” she pointed out. “I think that is a great example of the amount of strategy that we used as opposed to power-hitting.”
Longtime Burroughs coach Edwin Real appreciates what Hildebrandt gave to the program.
“As a player she goes one speed, 100 percent. I know what I can expect from her at practice,” he said. “Even when sick, she does not sit out and practices. Her work ethic is unmatched.”
Trying to keep a positive outlook on an outcome is fine but there are other factors that go into winning and losing.
“After any loss I get past the setback by expressing my emotions to loved ones, such as my parents. It usually only lasts for the day after the loss happened,” she noted. “I go into practice the next day with the will to work even harder and bring my team together to get ready to win the next game.”
Getting to this point in her prep career hasn’t been easy for Hildebrandt and that’s one reason for her gratitude.
“I overcame some challenges that I struggled with during my first two years of high school. I realized the love that I had for the sport as I played club,” she said. “Seeing my fellow friends on the team make such loving memories made me want to be a part of something bigger on the volleyball team.”
Hildebrandt went on: “I was lucky enough to make varsity when I tried out my junior year and wouldn’t go back to change anything,” she added. “I feel that joining the team during my junior year has helped me grow and mature as a person.”
The game is what motivated Hildebrandt to play the sport she loves.
“I love volleyball because of the community, and the fact that it can’t be one person succeeding for the team to succeed. I find myself in a community that is like a family to me,” she said. “The support between my teammates inspires my play to do it not only for myself but for the people that I share the court with.”
Getting better even incrementally is what’s important.
“I feel motivated to want to be better. I think I can say that volleyball was a huge part in carving where my life has gone. Not only the support that I have gained, but the sport itself is like stepping into a different world,” she said. “It feels like I am floating in a sense, nothing else can cross my mind except for the next play, next point, next win, next celebration.”
This was Hildebrandt’s final season, and she feels rightly proud of what she’s accomplished.
“I can proudly say that I am very pleased with my growth, the people that I have met, and the leadership skills that I have obtained while becoming a team captain,” she said.
Being on the volleyball team is a privilege and not to be taken lightly.
“I will carry the lesson of being patient, working as a team, and being a leader,” Hildebrandt stated. “These will help me in the future to help navigate life as it gets harder to manage, and to always know that with a loss comes a win.”
Real said that Hildebrandt is easy to coach because she’s self-motivated.
“As a person, she is coachable, and she listens. She takes suggestions and criticism well,” he said. “She gets along with her teammates. She’s earned the title of team captain for the aforementioned reasons and leads by example.”
College awaits Hildebrandt and it’s going to be different and exciting.
“When the season concludes I will remember the joy of winning games and the hard work that went into it. Every win was a great feeling that I don’t think a person who doesn’t play the sport could understand,” she said. “The feeling of relief and pride you feel is not like any other feeling and in knowing how hard the girls and I have worked to accomplish so many things over the past two seasons.”
Hildebrandt then added: “It will be a great memory. I will especially remember all of my teammates who constantly built each other up to be the best we all could be,” she said.
