Jeffrey Hinkle is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Williams Field High School for AZPreps365.com.

Williams Field senior outside hitter Maliyah LaBrie has quickly become one of the top performers on a Black Hawks team that took the transfer student under their wing from day one. 

“My team has become my family," she said. "My first day of tryouts, I knew I made the right decision. I can’t even imagine being in California right now.”

LaBrie transferred to Williams Field from Hillcrest High School in Riverside, California where she started her journey as a dominant outside hitter. She won Inland girls athlete of the week during Hillcrest’s playoff run last year when registering 24 kills in both the first and second round matches. 

When comparing the two states, LaBrie says that volleyball in Arizona is more competitive. 

“I feel like Arizona volleyball is better," she said. "Like there’s better competition out here. There's a lot of heavy hitters from the teams we’ve faced.”

Having to learn an entirely new offense seems like a daunting task, but luckily for LaBrie, the offensive styles at Hillcrest and Williams Field are very similar.

“To have a big hitter come in as a transfer from out of stat. That's every coach’s dream,” Williams Field head coach Brian Hiapo said. “The transition was great for her, because these girls are playing the same type of defense and offense.”

In her first season with the Black Hawks, LaBrie was named one of the team's captains alongside senior libero Brianna McClimans, something Hiapo said was not set in stone at first. 

“We didn’t really know her, but she had the knowledge of being a leader,” Hiapo said. 

Democracy also played a part in the decision.

Hiapo let his team vote on captains, and the new girl from Cali was voted co-captain.

“She’s so excited," Williams Field junior outside hitter Talli Benson said. "She’s always doing stuff for the team, not for herself. She was just super nice from the very beginning.”

Something else that sets her apart on the court and makes her recognizable is her turquoise shoes.

LaBrie wears basketball shoes instead of the customary volleyball shoes.

“I wear Kyrie 4s because they’re light," she said. "I try to stay away from heavy basketball shoes like Dames or Brons. They’re nice, but they’re just heavy on the court.” 

Even though she claims to not have much of a life outside of volleyball, LaBrie is a huge fan of the TV show, Friends.

Some may even say she’s a little obsessed. 

“I don’t know how many times I’ve watched it," LaBrie said. "It’s to the point where I can see the episode start and know exactly what happens." 

Whether it be making friends on the court or watching Friends on the couch, LaBrie has quickly adapted to life in Arizona, and has become a friend to not only her teammates, but all of the coaches.

”Everybody loves her, and that's a hard thing to do,” Hiapo said.