Athlete of the Week – Addison Johnason

This Q + A with AD Lyslo highlights varsity athlete and PC junior Addison Johanson.

Addison, first off, congrats on being named Jersey Mike’s Athlete of the Week. It’s been another great volleyball season for you and PC. How are you feeling going into the playoffs this week?

I am feeling confident in this team and our potential to go even farther in state this year.

You have had a really strong season and have picked up the load for some players who have been out. Have you felt any pressure to do more, or are you embracing the new role?

It’s definitely been a great deal more pressure on my shoulders than last year, but I’ve been loving this new opportunity to play from every position on the court. I like being someone the team can depend on to always show up and show out because it makes me want to work that much harder! 

Despite the tough loss to Clatskanie, you guys won another league title and are in a good spot going into the playoffs. How does the team feel about the postseason, especially with a lot of younger players on the team this year?

The loss to Clatskanie, I think, was a wake-up call for us and now the team is even more determined going into playoffs to prove that we are capable of being champions again. 

 Winning back-to-back player of the year honors is special. Have you had much time to think about how rare that is?

I’m so honored to win this award two years in a row! My focus is always on working hard to become the best player I can be for my team, and it’s a blessing to see that hard work pay off. 

As always, there are a lot of expectations for volleyball to do well in the post-season and hopefully state. What’s it going to take to break through and have post-season success?

There are a lot of girls on the team who are new to varsity and the pressures that come with post-season, especially the state tournament. We all need to go into with confidence in the skills we have developed as a team throughout the season and just play our game with 110% commitment, because I know we have the skills to get to the end.