After leading Amity to the Class LL quarterfinals and posting 290 kills, 157 digs and 48 aces, senior Allison Denny has been named New Haven Register All-Area Most Valuable Player. According to her coach, Paul Thees, she played with the spirit of a well-known movie character.
NH County All-Area Girls Volleyball MVP: Allison Denny, Amity.
“Her favorite athlete is Rocky Balboa,” Spartans coach Paul Thees said. “And she resembles characteristics that are similar to his. Loyal, honest, and a fighter, willing to go the distance without giving up.”
ALL-AREA GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM IN PICTURES
Denny said the team watched Rocky movies together and the Philly’s boxer’s mentality in the ring, became theirs on the court.
“We would always joke about it on and off the court,” she said. “It helped us loosen up.”
A loose, calm and collected Denny was named to the All-CHSCA and Southern Connecticut Conference teams and was picked SCC MVP. Denny, an outside hitter, led Amity to a 16-4 regular season, in which it amassed nine sweeps and won seven straight matches from Oct. 3-16.
MEET THE ALL-AREA GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM
Thees, who retired after the season, said Denny was a team player and a fierce competitor.
“She plays the game with devotion and passion,” he said.
Denny also approaches track and field with that attitude, where the All-Area MVP participates in the shot put. The senior is a captain on the outdoor track team.
Away from athletic, Denny is undecided on a college, but said she likes Franklin Pierce.
“I love the school,” she said. “They have a health professions program there.”
Which is important to Denny, because she wants to study pre-med in college.
“I could have an impact on people’s lives,” Denny said. “I like being around people and I’m really interested in it.”
Since when is Rocky Balboa an athlete? He is a fictional character in a movie.
Rocky serves as a personal self-esteem builder for many individuals. He is an encouragement through difficult times. Many different people are faced with the challenge of being an underdog. Rocky shows us how to overcome and achieve. Even though he is a fictional character, his legacy has beat the test of time. Some “athletes” of today, both professional or even in high school, can learn from him.
“Oh, come on, Adrian”, I mean Jessica, you know that’s the truth!