Ferndale’s volleyball squad is full of “snipers” listed in the top-10 for kills per set in Whatcom County this fall. The Golden Eagles offense is one of the most powerful in the Northwest Conference.
Although several players are key to that success, the flow and rhythm of Ferndale’s offense is often directed by senior setter Brooklyn Larrabee. She says she loves playing with her best friends because of the flow of the game and competition.
“The past four years have been great,” Larrabee said. “Having a different group each time is different, especially with my role, but we have a great group of girls this year.”
The 5-foot-7 setter made the varsity team her freshman year. She described the experience as terrifying because of older opponents and the pressure of doing well.
Setters play a similar role to a quarterback in football. The position sets the tempo of the game, makes quick decisions about passing the ball and develops a rhythm for their squad. Setters need self-confidence, accountability and emotional stability.
In Larrabee’s first couple of seasons, she struggled with finding mental toughness on the court.
“I was always crashing out at myself,” Larrabee said. “It happened when I was missing a serve or a bad set. I was terrified, but I knew what I needed to do for my team and set them up.”
Larrabee grew quickly, earning second-team all-conference honors as a freshman and first-team as a sophomore. In her first two seasons, she was averaging eight assists per set, two digs and nearly one ace and kill, too.
Once Larrabee became an upperclassman, she took the lessons her older peers taught her and passed those on toward younger players on the squad.
“I learned a lot about mental toughness and have been able to lift my teammates through those tough moments,” Larrabee said.
She also has confidence in her team, describing Ferndale’s roster as scrappy and relentless. As her high school career begins to wrap up, Larrabee is grateful for being a part of the Golden Eagle community. She felt like a part of a community that employs an underdog mentality to prove opponents wrong.
Once Larrabee graduates, she will compete for Bentley University, a Division II school outside of Boston. She chose the Falcons because of their scrappy reputation and the chemistry she saw among the team and coaches.
Her final goals for this year include making a run toward a 3A state title and being a role model for the younger players.
“I hope young girls can look up to me and do the same thing,” Larrabee said. “I want to see them be a leader, energetic and scrappy.”
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN’s sports editor; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.