Curtis’ Elly McEachern earns TNT All-Area volleyball player of the year

Being tall has presented some challenges for Elly McEachern over the years.

There’s trying to find a place to buy pants that fit — and always having to remember to stand in the back for group photographs.

Otherwise, McEachern, a Curtis High School senior who is a shade over 6 feet – “6 (foot) 1 on a good day” — doesn’t mind that she kept growing, and growing, when she started junior high.

“It turned out great,” she said with a laugh. “I love it — especially when I do sports.”

McEachern’s dazzling performance as an outside hitter has helped the Vikings to an undefeated 12-0 record in the South Puget Sound League (20-1 overall) and to league and West Central District titles as they enter Friday’s Class 4A state volleyball tournament as a No. 1 seed.

It is also why McEachern is The News Tribune’s All-Area volleyball player of the year.

“I’ve put in a lot of hard work,” McEachern said, “and I have a great team behind me that gives me opportunities to hit consistently.”

Curtis coach Michael Miller said McEachern has a well-rounded game. Among her stats this season are 365 kills, 300 digs and 28 aces.

“She’s a very physical player — very strong,” he said. “She elevates and makes contact with the ball in a way that a lot of kids don’t.”

Senior outside hitter Camryn Buell calls her co-captain a helpful presence on the court.

“She always goes out hard and plays 100 percent,” Buell said.

Miller, who has coached McEachern since she was 13, said she has grown out of the frustration she displayed early on. In turn, he looks to her as a “coach on the floor.”

“She has really matured,” he said. “You can see her not getting upset about the things she can’t control — but focusing on the things she can have an impact on.”

It’s something that even opposing teams notice.

“Her demeanor is always the same,” said Emerald Ridge coach Bobby McGivern. “She is pretty even-keeled and gets the job done.”

Her tenacity has been problematic for Emerald Ridge, which Curtis has beat three times this season, including for the league title.

“We’ve had to do some adjustments, and even with those adjustments at times, we weren’t stopping her,” McGivern said.

McEachern started playing volleyball at age 12 — before her growth spurt — and only last year moved from middle to the outside, where she is known for big swings to take the ball down. She also plays for the 253 Elite club team and in beach tournaments.

“It’s a sport that’s different from any other sport,” she said. “It moves differently every single game; there are always new challenges and ways to solve them. It’s a great mental game, as well as physical.”

McEachern also enjoys being challenged off the court. An avid lover of science, she enjoys figuring out how things work. DNA is especially interesting to the aspiring radiologist, who said she hopes to attend a college where she can play volleyball.

But first things first.

“Since the first second I started playing school ball, I wanted to win state,” McEachern said. “I’m looking forward to giving it our all.”

Coming into the tournament as a top seed doesn’t hurt, either.

“So far, we’ve shown we can pretty much take anyone if we’re playing our best,” she said. “So we’re ready.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Curtis’ Elly McEachern earns TNT All-Area volleyball player of the year."