Seifert gives Buhach Colony volleyball a much-needed weapon. And she’s a freshman.

It didn’t take long for Buhach Colony coach Andy Hill to get on freshman Maggie Seifert during last week’s key Central California Conference matchup with El Capitan.

Seifert sailed a ball long on the first point of the game.

“Get your head in the game,” Hill said. “Enough.”

Seifert didn’t drop her head. She didn’t sulk. The Thunder outside hitter just went to work, finishing with a team-high nine kills and three aces to help the Thunder (15-12 overall, 8-2 CCC) sweep the Gauchos 25-12, 25-18, 25-16.

“I am really tough on Maggie,” Hill said. “I’m always tough on freshmen. I think to be on varsity as a freshman is special. We only had Miranda (Baptista) last year. We only have Maggie this year.”

Seifert doesn’t think anything of it.

“He’s tough on all of us,” Seifert said. “It’s just part of the game. I don’t really think he’s tough on me.”

Seifert has emerged to give the Thunder another strong hitter on the left side. She’s third on the team in kills behind Baptista (291) and Cameron Gray (226) with 187 this season.

Seifert had her best game of the season with 18 kills in Buhach Colony’s 3-1 win over Pitman. It was the Thunder’s first win in conference play over Pitman since 2011, snapping a streak of 16 consecutive CCC losses to the Pride.

“I think the Pitman game was huge for her,” said the junior Gray, who also played varsity as a freshman. “The Pitman game was the first time I’ve seen her smile during a game. She’s always serious.”

It’s a big jump going straight from middle school to varsity in high school in one year. The game is a lot faster and you jump from playing 12 and 13 year old girls to playing 17 and 18 year olds.

“It’s definitely a big adjustment,” Seifert said. “At the beginning of the year I was a bit intimidated by the all the girls and the competition. But once you start playing you gain confidence.”

Hill had no questions Seifert could make the leap to varsity as a freshman. Seifert played for Hill while he coached middle school volleyball at McSwain School. The two have history together and Hill knows Seifert has the talent and mental makeup to handle varsity as a freshman.

“She’s played for me. I know she’s been trained the right way,” Hill said. “She knows the way I run my offense. She knows how I run my team. She was a setter for me at McSwain, which tells you she’s really a versatile player. I know she can handle it.

“She’s still really young so there’s things she definitely needs to work on, but her offensive game is coming around very nicely. She had a great game against Pitman. She’s not going to be eaten up by the pressure whether that’s a playoff game or a big game.”

There are nothing but big games left for the Thunder as they close out the regular season this week at home against first-place Turlock (10-0 CCC) on Tuesday night and at crosstown rival Atwater on Thursday. Buhach Colony needs a strong finish to secure a good playoff seed.

Buhahc Colony wants to repeat its postseason run from last year that saw the Thunder reach the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals and the NorCal semifinals.

Seifert could play a big role in the Thunder’s postseason success.

“I think she’s another weapon,” Gray said. “Last year we were a team known for a lot of weapons. With Maggie it’s like introducing a new weapon. Maggie comes in and she’s a second arm that we needed.”

This story was originally published October 23, 2017 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Seifert gives Buhach Colony volleyball a much-needed weapon. And she’s a freshman.."