Salem volleyball player inspires her team while setting school record
By AARON PARSEGHIAN
A volleyball player at Salem High School in Massachusetts has been inspiring her teammates on the court and in the classroom and is now the proud holder of a school record.
Senior Mia Silva has played all four years for the Witches varsity team and in that time, she's set her teammates up more than 700 times.
Broke school assists record
"I'm a setter. So when the defense passes the ball, I set it and I get a good pass for my hitters," said Silva. "I wouldn't say it's just me, it's really a group effort, especially since it's only six on the court."
Her teammates said that humility is one of her signature traits and that she's someone they know they can rely on.
"Mia is just so sweet. And she's always, like, a shoulder you can lean on," said one of her teammates.
So this month, when Silva broke the school assists record, one that stood for more than a decade, her teammates beamed with pride.
"It's funny because in team sports sometimes, there can be envy or jealousy but nobody feels that with Mia because she truly leads with that humility," said Salem High School volleyball coach Angie Giancola.
"All-around student-athlete"
Giancola said Silva's leadership doesn't end at the net.
"She is pretty much the textbook definition of an all-around student-athlete," said Giancola.
When she's not acing college-level courses, Silva is her senior class vice president. She's also the founder of Salem Girls in Sports Day, teaching kids the game and encouraging record breakers of the future.
"It's nice to see that once I leave, people will still be here, people still care," said Silva.
"Probably will never be another leader like Mia Silva. Mia has been integral in teaching our core values, which is RICHES," said Giancola. "It's resilience, integrity, competitiveness, humility, empathy and spirit."