Kickin’ it with Hillsdale volleyball libero Mia DeMartini

While Hillsdale went on to lose 25-17, 25-21, 25-13 to Carlmont, DeMartini gave the home fans their money’s worth when she produced an epic kick save in the third set. Yes, kicking the ball is legal in volleyball, and the senior libero demonstrated by not only getting her foot to an otherwise unplayable ball, but sent it over the net for Hillsdale to eventually win the point.

“That was fantastic,” Hillsdale head coach Dwight Crump said. “That was a big lift for the team. And we got the point.”

A nose-to-the-grindstone defensive player, DeMartini is keen to keep her focus on the court. The senior doesn’t generally notice the reaction of the crowd, but it was impossible not to after the kick save heard around Zugelder Gymnasium.

With the student section along the southeast side of the gym filling up over the course of the match, an entire file of bleachers was overtaken by fans who erupted in that unique roar reserved for volleyball arenas. And the reaction was not lost on DeMartini.

“After that, I did (notice),” DeMartini said. “I kind of allowed myself to celebrate that one because that’s something that just doesn’t happen all the time. So, that was really fun.”

It was something of a sentimental moment, as well, for the four-year varsity player. The fan reaction took DeMartini back to her freshman year, Aug. 26, 2022, to be exact, for the opening game of her varsity career. DeMartini didn’t start that game, but she sure remembers rotating onto the floor for the first time.

“I remember being put in during the last set, and everyone was cheering; the whole thing was packed with people,” DeMartini said. “I just remember it was such a surreal moment, and I think since then I’ve just come so far.”

DeMartini has come a long way as a softball player, as well. The senior’s main focus in athletics is on the diamond, and with good reason. Heading into her fourth varsity season in the spring, DeMartini is a career .379 hitter and a All-Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division infielder as a junior, who has been the catalyst in reigning Central Coast Section Division II champion Hillsdale posting back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the program won 20 games four straight times between 2013-16.