How is Holly Lubben, a freshman and junior varsity volleyball player, able to keep an organized lifestyle while living on a farm?

With the volleyball season wrapped up, our talented players finally get a break from the long hours of practice and traveling and have more time to focus on their education. But this is only one less thing to worry about for student Holly Lubben.

Holly already had a hectic life as a newly promoted freshman. Lubben was always traveling back and forth to games, tournaments, and practice. She also happens to be enrolled in one of the most difficult and time-consuming pathways at Santa Rosa Academy: Academic Justice. Ultimately, she also lives on a tireless farm in Temecula with a variety of different animals.

Santa Rosa Academy’s JV Volleyball proved to be good this year, with only two losses out of the ten games they played. They even triumphed over the undefeated San Jacinto High School, having a winning score being 14-16. One of her fellow teammates and close friend Jasmine Castrejon states, “Holly’s like our mini hypeman. She will dive no matter what, and her communication is superior. I honestly think she should’ve been our captain this year.”

Lubben says that she practiced two hours every day, seven days a week. She claims that she didn’t get home until six o’clock in the evening, leaving her two hours to finish her chores both in the house and on the farm and to finish homework and any classwork she missed.

When Lubben plays in volleyball games, she often feels anxious about a various number of things.. She knows that her peers, family, teammates, and coaches are seeing her perform. There’s also a lot of pressure to maintain the team’s morale and to represent Santa Rosa Academy positively. Being looked at by so many people all the time can be stressful and even a little bit scary.

Holly Lubben states, “When I played in at-home games, it was way more stressful than playing in away games.”

After a long day of school and practice, Lubben arrives home to her farm in Temecula that shelters, two horses, two pigs, three donkeys, and a dozen chickens. Taking care of animals on a farm isn’t a walk in the park. They require constant care and attention so that they’re healthy and well-fed. Lubben’s farm chores are to wash and feed the pigs and chickens, collect chicken eggs, and clean out their coops. If Holly wasn’t getting her chores done, then the animals wouldn’t be taken care of, and the farm wouldn’t be in business. These responsibilities conflict with the amount of time she has for homework, and also the time she needs for basic self-care and wellbeing. In general, Holly Lubben has a lot of responsibilities outside of volleyball and school.

“I was at school for an average of 10 hours a day. By the time I got home, I had to rush to finish all of my chores both in the house and around the farm just to be able to do my homework in time.” Lubben reveals.

Back when volleyball was in season, Lubben felt like she struggled with Biology the most more than any other class. Since it was her 4th period, she always had to leave that class early to attend practice. Holly was missing a lot of instructional time, and it resulted in many struggles and a lower grade. Taking notes in Biology is vital, but since Holly wasn’t there, she didn’t know most of the terms Lubben decided to address this problem by requesting a schedule change and switching her 4th period to study hall.

Holly Lubben explains, “I was failing Biology, and it almost affected my volleyball career. I had to switch out of 4th period, and that’s why I’m in B2 now.”

Many other athletes at Santa Rosa Academy had no choice but to not have an elective, not participate in Kinesiology, or simply not have a 4th period because of the amount of time they had to put into practice. However, having a study hall instead of an actual class can interfere with the amount of credits needed for graduate high school.

“Even though volleyball really wears me out, I’m glad that I was able to play on this team and meet new people,” Lubben states, reminiscing on her volleyball days. “Being on the JV team this year really felt like a growing experience.”

In conclusion, Holly Lubben is constantly working hard in all aspects of her life no matter what stands in her way. She’s determined to do well in school while also being a great volleyball player and a helping hand around the farm.