Orange Lutheran junior Malia Yehya started playing indoor volleyball at age nine, following in the footsteps of her mother, who also played volleyball in high school.
 
But during her freshman year, when OLu Athletics first launched the girls beach volleyball program, Yehya's friends and teammates convinced her to go to tryouts, and she found an unexpected connection with the sport on the sand.

"For beach (volleyball), it feels a lot more free to play," says Yehya. "I get to do everything. I get to pass, set and hit, whereas with indoor, I'm just a passer. And I love that there's only two girls on the court because with every defensive ball, I know that's going to be mine."

Yehya and her partner on the court, junior Adisyn Tognazzini, are working hard to earn a spot in this season's Trinity League tournament. She is also serving as a team captain this year and would love to help lead her team to the CIF postseason.

"Malia has been one the most reliable leaders on the team," says OLu beach volleyball head coach Kris Johnson. "She has gracefully accepted multiple roles, and she's a selfless person."

Yehya has played on club volleyball teams for a number of years, but representing her school and her faith have made for some of the most memorable moments of her playing career.

"I think playing for OLu feels a lot more like a family," says the 16-year old. "We are a very close team, and getting to represent OLu is like an added bonus. I get to play the sport that I love every day, and I get to play wearing the cross on my back, which is a great thing."

The two-year varsity player is on the shorter side, and that has been challenging for her at times on the court. So coming into beach volleyball, Yehya has taken on extra training in order to increase her vertical jump and become more explosive coming out of the sand, making persistence the most significant life lesson she has learned from the game.

"There's been a lot of times where it's been a bad practice or a bad game, or I'm just feeling really down about my performance, or I'm not getting the playing time," says Yehya. "Learning how to be able to push through those humps has really helped translate into my life outside of volleyball, and I think that's a skill I'm going to take with me when I'm done (playing) volleyball."

Outside of being an athlete, Yehya enjoys baking and is also a part of the Humanities Pathway at OLu. She has a strong interest in writing and has enjoyed contributing to the school's student-led publication, The OLu Muse.

"I've been able to explore different writing styles with [The OLu Muse], and I have a leadership role there too, so it's really helped me learn how to balance athletics and accelerated academics," says Yehya.

Yehya's faith plays a large role in how she conducts herself both on the court and in the classroom, and her faith journey has helped her see where her truth worth comes from.

"I think my faith definitely helps to keep me grounded, and has helped me realize that my worth isn't entirely focused on my athletic performance or my academic performance. Just knowing that I have a clean slate in Jesus has been really helpful for me."
 
Yehya is undecided on if she will pursue volleyball in college, but she hopes to study either psychology or pre-law. She looks up to her father as one of her strong mentors in how he inspires her to pursue excellence.

"He came to this country really young with not a lot, and he's been able to build a great life for me," says Yehya of her dad. "That really guides me in terms of volleyball and in life – not giving up and working hard is what's going to get me to my goal. So just having that in the back of my mind really inspires me."