Bakersfield College volleyball coach Carl Ferreira said that Brooke Horack is ranked the most efficient middle blocker in the state. Horack has been playing volleyball since the 6th grade and has been playing since.

“When I was little, I did gymnastics and that didn’t really work out, so my dad said ‘How about volleyball’ and I said ‘okay.’ I played club. I played in a club called BBC and did [Bakersfield Club] Jamba club my senior year.”

Horack mentions that one of the challenges of playing volleyball is that it’s a mental sport. When playing or practicing, it’s important to have the right mindset.

“Coach Carl helps me with having that mindset,” Horack said. “His focus in volleyball is to make us be the best version of ourselves. [For example,] we meditate before every practice which eliminates distractions. He likes the relationships, so we work on relationship and really serving each other. I think getting your mindset before games like saying you’re tired or saying maybe you’re thinking about some test. Like really what we trying to focus on is volleyball because that’s really what we control. We’re in that moment. So yeah, he really wants us to focus on the moment.”

Horack stated that volleyball practice is more of them working as a team and working on the chemistry. She adds that being there for each other is important because they are like a family. Focusing on that is when, as she mentions, they play the best because they are not just playing as players, but as a unit.

Horack remarks that the most challenging part of volleyball is the mental aspect of it.

When discussing what kind of diet they have to have Horack said, “We don’t really have a diet. Coach says that 80 percent of our diet should be good. So if you eat all day, healthy, then it’s fine if you have ice cream at night. Mostly when we go out of town with [Coach Ferreira], we go to whole foods or stuff like that.”

She comments that they workout with Zack Peters, who is the Director of Strength and Conditioning, to strengthen their muscles. Then they go to the assistant athletic trainer, Mike Medeiros, who helps them recover, which she mentions is really helpful.

“The schedule is we practice every day from four o’clock to seven o’clock in the afternoon, but I’m usually here at three because I go to Mike for treatment. Wednesday and Friday are games at 6 p.m. We normally have tournaments in the beginning of the season, but those already passed,” said Horack.

When speaking on what she has learned about teamwork she said, “It’s not about you or it’s not about me. It’s about your teammate and it’s about really serving them and helping them on what they need. It’s like a hundred zero game. If I’m doing something for a teammate, I’m not expected anything back. Normally with our team and how we work, they are giving something back because that is how our team is. We are always just working together because that’s how volleyball is. Like if you want to be successful, we have to have good team chemistry.”

Horack is currently majoring in animal science. She says that she has wanted to be a veterinarian since she was very little, and she loves animals. She always seemed to want to helped animals because for her they’re like her therapy. She does want to continue playing volleyball at a four-year institution, but not professionally because she wants to focus on being a veterinarian.

When talking about who inspired her the most, she said, “I would say my parents and Carl. I didn’t know I wanted to play until Carl was like ‘you need to play’ in good way,” laughs Horack. “My parents, they always wanted me to play. They like watching me play. They go to every single one of my games. They don’t miss a game, even if it’s out of town they’ll go.”