Teagan Pocius, junior, broke an MHS record in girls volleyball on Tuesday, Sept. 14, when she recorded her 222nd block in a game against Bolivar, making her the all-time leader.
Blocking in volleyball is when a player deflects a spiked ball back onto the other side of the court. Pocius is a middle blocker and said she had expected the moment.
“We had four [games] that day and I kind of knew going into the day that I was probably going to break it,” Pocius said. “The build up just made it so exciting.”
Pocius was quick to celebrate with her teammates after breaking the record.
“We were all kind of jumping around, everybody knew what was happening, it was really fun,” Pocius said.
Pocius felt honored to achieve her newfound status as all-time MHS block leader.
“It felt surreal because breaking a career record as a junior is hard and then breaking the record that I broke is just, it’s a tough skill,” Pocius said. “So knowing that I broke it pretty fast, it’s just awesome, it’s such a great feeling.”
Pocius has been playing volleyball since she was in elementary school. She plays for Rockwood Thunder Volleyball (RTV), a club team, from December to July. RTV placed 3rd at nationals last year, where Pocius was also named a part of the all-tournament team, an award given to the best performers in the tournament.
The block record was set five years ago by Madi Sell, who currently plays volleyball at the University of Indiana as a middle blocker.
Tammy Becker, girls volleyball head coach, said Pocius has been eyeing the record for some time.
“Teagan set a goal as a freshman to break [Sell’s] record and she broke the single season block record as a sophomore, and then this year she broke the career record,” Becker said.
Becker said Pocius has a strong sense of drive as a player.
“She’s a very goal oriented young lady, she sets herself a goal and then she goes after it,” Becker said. “She is an extremely hard worker.”
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Teagan Pocius, junior, gets ready to begin her jump serve during the first game in the Pinkout against Lafayette High School to raise awareness for breast cancer.
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McKenzie Fitzmaurice, junior, saves the ball from hitting the floor, helping her team to score the point. “I was looking forward to the pink out game,” Fitzmaurice said. “It’s always fun playing Lafayette because they’re our biggest rivals.”
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Mallory Sell, senior, and Jane Covington, freshman, run into a group huddle after they lose the point.
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Mara Peterson, senior, gets in her starting position before Lafayette serves the ball over. “I wrote a poem dedicated to my mom, and I read it at the beginning of the game,” Peterson said. “Even though my mom’s struggling right now, I know she’s going to be okay. Her spirit keeps not only us, but herself uplifted through these tough times that she’s battling. Our family is not the same without her.”
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Abby Klass and Teagan Pocius, juniors, wait for the Lafayette team to serve the ball over the net. “I love my teammates, because everyone’s so inclusive and loving,” Pocius said. “They just make it much more fun.”
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Paige McCandless, senior, continues her serving momentum during the second round. “My position in volleyball is a defense specialist,” McCandless said. “I’ve always been short, so I’ve always been in that position because I’m not tall enough to be at the net.”
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Mallory Sell, senior, celebrates after earning a point for her team. “We always play Lafayette with our pink out, so it’s always good competition,” Sell said. “While we’re playing, we want to beat them, but we’re also playing for everyone who has cancer.”
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Chelsea Plunkett, junior, prepares to return the ball back to Lafayette’s side of the court.
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Mallory Sell, senior, is Madi’s younger sister and also plays volleyball. Mallory said there are no hard feelings between the pair.
“Teagan is a very good player and I’m happy that if anyone broke it, it was her.” Mallory said. “I talked to my sister about it and my sister was very happy for Teagan and it’s just a really cool thing that she did.”
Mallory will be playing volleyball at Maryville University next year. The Sell family’s love for volleyball comes from their mother, Mallory said.
“My mom grew up playing volleyball, so, it was something that she kinda just put my sister and I in to see if we would like it and then we kind of just took off from there,” Mallory said. “My mom is definitely happy to see us both succeed really far in volleyball.”
Volleyball has a deep importance to Pocius as well.
“It’s kind of my sanctuary,” Pocius said. “It’s a place I can go to just relax and destress after school.”
Pocius is currently committed to the College of William and Mary, where she will continue her volleyball career.
“I’ve met some of the most important people in my life through volleyball, I’ve met some of my idols through volleyball,” Pocius said. “So it really means so much to me and I’m grateful that I get to continue to play it for another four years.”
