Queen Creek High School sophomore Blaykli Bobik started playing volleyball when she was 10, inspired by her family and a close friend.
“Having a lot of athletes in my family has influenced me in being competitive and learning a team sport, and I love it,” Bobik said.
Bobik's father is the boys basketball head coach at Queen Creek High and her brother played basketball until he graduated last year. Like Bobik, her aunt played volleyball.
“My aunt played volleyball in college, but I never really thought about playing,” Bobik explained. “Then I got into a city league and my coach, Erica (Crismon), was a good family friend and so I tried it out.” Crismon is the girls volleyball head coach at Queen Creek High School.
After playing city league, Bobik played at Mountain View Volleyball Club and then Eastside Blaze Volleyball Club at Barney Family Sports Complex in Queen Creek. She made the highest team at Eastside Blaze when she was 12.
Today, she plays outsider hitter on the varsity volleyball team at Queen Creek High School.
“She loves it. It’s fun to see her love something so much,” said Natalie Bobik, Blaykli’s mother.
“She has a champion mentality from growing up in the family she’s grown up in,” said Crismon. “It lends to her knowing how to be a competitive athlete. She’s successful because she’s so competitive and she just wants to be the best.”
“When she decided she wanted to play they called me,” Crismon added. “It has been fun to see her journey from the very beginning.”
Bobik hopes to play volleyball in college.
