Seniors Lead Lady Horns to State Tourney Berth
Schulenburg volleyball players Tamara Otto, Harly Zapalac, and Mackenzie Kunschick have all played an essential part in the Lady Horns run to the state tournament, the first trip for Schulenburg since 2014. Otto has come up with clutch points, including a game winner vs Skidmore-Tynan. Kunschick put down a bunch of kills to spark the offense, and Zapalac has served timely aces. These three will be counted on again in Garland during their bid to a state title.
“They’ve been a big part of what we’ve been doing,” said Schulenburg head volleyball coach Donald Zapalac. “They’ve been doing a really good job. They’ve accepted their roles. We’ve had some role changes for Tamara, so she’s really accepted that role. Mackenzie has switched early in the season. She’s really doing a good job out there now, banging balls really good. Harly’s been one of those team players. She understands ‘hey, my role is to serve now.’ She’s really coming on late to help us out. These three teammates have bonded together and stepped up their play in crunch time, making all three of them our choice for this edition’s Player of the Week.
Question: What are you looking forward to the most at state?
Tamara: “I think what I’m looking forward to the most would just be the whole, big arena. Everyone being behind me and having my whole community there.”
Harly: “The thing I’m looking forward to the most is making the memories of getting to go to state. It was really fun getting to watch it in 2014, so I think getting to be the players on the court would be the most memorable part.”
Mackenzie: “I just want to do really good. Just have the time to play in state with the rest of my team.”
Question: What’s your best memory of the season?
Tamara: “Beating Shiner in our home gym. It was our senior night and it was our last ever time playing in Schulenburg for volleyball. I think just the energy we brought out and the excitement. We beat them in three sets and I just think that was really memorable for me.”
Harly: “I think I’d like to agree on the Shiner game. We
See were so pumped up to play Shiner. We wanted to beat them after sadly losing to them the first time. I think beating them was just the kick-off to us getting going, getting to regionals, and all that kind of stuff.”
Mackenzie: “Mine would be the Shiner game, too, because we just really wanted to beat them and get first in district. We all played really well that game.”
Question: How long have you been playing volleyball?
Tamara: “Ever since I was a little kid. In elementary, we’d practice in PE with my other seniors. Then we’d also practice after the 2014 volleyball games. We’d come in the gym and practice, but I would say probably since I was seven.”
Harly: “I would probably say around the same age because I practiced with Blaine and Landry. Then after the volleyball games, we’d all get up on the court and we’d play with all the other little girls, like me and Tamara would play. Then I just continued playing since then.”
Mackenzie: “I went to St. Rose and it started in fifth grade.”
Question:Where’s your favorite gym to play in and why?
Tamara: “Our gym. I love how the whole community is easily accessible here, then the excitement. I think ours also has great lighting.”
Harly: “I’d like to agree on our gym being the best, especially with our new floor. It’s just so pretty in here and the lighting is the best. It’s a big gym, so it’s nice to have as many people in the community as possible.”
Mackenzie: “I would say our gym, too. We all just play better in our gym. The floor is nice and the lighting’s good.”
Question: Who’s somebody you’ve always looked up to?
Tamara: “I think I’ve always looked up to my older sister, Erica Otto. She played volleyball, basketball, tennis, softball, and she ran track. She was also my tennis partner a couple years ago before she graduated. I just think all the effort, drive, and faith that she puts into God, her teammates, her friends, and family is always why I’d want to look up to her.”
Harly: “My mom. She’s always been the one to teach me and she’s always been the one to push me along to do new things, try out new stuff. She always gives me a pep talk before the game. She texts me and she tells me that she loves me and it gets me so pumped up for the game. No matter what, she pushes me to do what my heart desires.”
Mackenzie: “My parents. They have always been there for me ever since I was little. They always tell me to do good and tell me they love me every single day. They just want me to do good.”
Question: What’s your favorite ice cream?
Tamara: “I would say simple vanilla. Just the original, always.”
Harly: “My favorite kind of ice cream is Blue Bell ice cream cone ice cream.”
Mackenzie: “My favorite kind of ice cream is The Great Divide.”
Question:What activity do you take up the most outside of volleyball?
Tamara: “I would say any of my other sports, really. If I’m not playing volleyball, I’m probably playing basketball, tennis, softball, or spending time with my pigs.”
Harly: “FFA. I do competitions in advocacy and dairy judging. That takes up a lot of my time, especially in the spring.”
Mackenzie: “Mine would probably be tennis. That’s the only other sport I play and I practice it a lot.”
Question: If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go?
Tamara: “Mine would probably be Hawaii. My grandma went there a couple years ago and she’s always talked about taking me. I just think it’s really beautiful scenery.”
Harly: “Mine would also be Hawaii because my grandmother used to live there and my mom used to always go spend her summers up there with my grandmother. I think it’d be really cool to go see that.”
Mackenzie: “Mine would be Colorado. I’ve been to Colorado before, but I really like their scenery and I would like to go again.”
Question:What would you say is a special component about this team?
Tamara: “At the first point of the game, everyone goes on game mode and everyone gets super hyped up. Meredith is totally a hype leader and she’s ready to pump us up each game. I just think how excited everyone gets is a really good component.”
Harly: “Our drive. Our drive gets us going and we just want to keep on going and we never want to finish. We don’t want to be done yet, apparently, so I think our drive would be the best component.”
Mackenzie: “Mine would also be what Tamara said.”
Question: What’s something you enjoy doing in Schulenburg?
Tamara: “I would say just hanging out with my friends and family, whether it’s going to a movie, to just have deep conversations with them, just spending time together, really.”
Harly: “Schuenburg is a really small town, so it’s not exactly like you can go to the mall here, so a lot of things that a lot if kids do around here is go drive around and I think that’s really fun. Just to have that time to listen to music or just sit around a fire. We tend to do that a lot and I think that’s really fun.”
Mackenzie: “Hang around with family and friends. It’s just fun to hang around and talk to them and just have their presence around you.”
Otto, Zapalac, and Kunschick understand the important aspects of life and they bring these special qualities to the volleyball court as well.