Dynamic Duo Dominates the Court

Heather Harness is destroying her competition on the court and she is only a freshman coming from Marysville High School to the Yuba College volleyball team. She is first in kills and second in kills per set for the entire Bay Valley Conference. In the overall California Community College Association, she is second in both, which is a huge accomplishment for a Yuba College player. 

When watching her play, it is easy to see why she is so successful. When Harness comes in for a spike, she throws all her power into making sure that no one will be able to dig the ball and return it. She has a range of deep cross court and straight down the line shots that wreak havoc on her opponent’s back court. 

She says that her success is due to the unity that is within the team. Harness stated “We are like sisters”. This unity allows her to pick herself up even after making a mistake. “We have our downs, but we all lift each other up no matter what.”  

When it comes to team sports like volleyball, Harness relies heavily on her teammates to set her up to be able to make a kill. If the setup isn’t optimal, Harness has to make quick adjustments in order to keep the ball in play or change her angle on the spike.  It is amazing to see such power in a freshman and in a year from now, she will be even more of a threat. 

Abigail Stamper is a key to the Yuba College volleyball team’s success. As a sophomore, this was her time to shine and she did. You won’t see Stamper hitting powerful spikes like some of her other teammates, but she is the overlooked position that makes winning possible.

Stamper is leading her conference in assists and second in service aces. When watching her play, people are blown away by her ability to set up her teammates for kills, even in desperate situations. Stamper is the player who leaves it all on the court, returning the ball into play when everyone else sees the point as over. Due to her enduring effort, she got applause multiple times in the middle of a point because of a remarkable play. 

Stamper has not yet made a decision on where she wants to transfer, but she knows that this was her last season playing volleyball overall, and she wanted to go out giving it her best. She did not disappoint. In her final home game, she monopolized the serving position, finishing out both the first set and the last set. She served about thirteen aces in just the first set, a few more in the second set, and another set of ten in the third set, finishing out the game.

Throughout the game, she added a multitude of assists to her record and helped her team attain their sixth straight win. This may be Stamper’s final season playing, but she isn’t done with volleyball. She is helping coach a travelling team in her spare time.