ViQueens of the Month: Mia Jessen and Bradleigh Ryan

Mia Jessen (Libero/DS) and Bradleigh Ryan (Pin Hitter) have both been playing volleyball long before their freshman years of high school. Now seniors, they’ve been bringing their all to their last volleyball season at La Jolla High before they go off to college. Keep reading for an exclusive interview with the two captains of our girls varsity volleyball team!

Seniors Bradleigh Ryan (left) and Mia Jessen (right). Image via @ljhswvb on Instagram.

Q. How long have you been playing volleyball?

MJ: 6 years.

BR: 8 years.

Q. What made you start playing volleyball?

MJ: When I moved to San Diego my mom wanted me to do a team sport, so I chose volleyball.

BR: I played because my friend’s dad was the coach, so all of my friends played volleyball together in 5th grade.

Q. What is your favorite part about volleyball?

MJ: I like being on a team with my friends and getting to compete.

BR: Probably playing home games for the high school season, they’re really fun for me.

Q. How has your senior season been so far?

MJ: It’s been good; we have a lot of seniors so it’s fun to have our last season together.

BR: This season our team has an even winning and losing record [at time of interview]. Our team dynamic is really fun; we’re all really close.

Q. What would you consider your biggest sports achievement?

MJ: Committing to college to play volleyball.

BR: As a team, we won CIF Division 2 twice for beach volleyball. Also, last year, I got MVP for my team which was really great.

Q. Do you plan on playing volleyball in college?

MJ: I’m playing volleyball at Hamilton College.

BR: No, I’m not.

Q. Do you have any team shoutouts?

MJ: Shoutout to sophomore Emma Garrett!

BR: Shoutout to senior Anaïs Reneaum!

Nominate and vote for the next Viking of the Month on our Instagram, @ thehitide !

About the Contributors

Kyra Sharma, Managing and Opinions Editor

Kyra Sharma is a junior in her second year of Journalism as the Managing and Opinions editor. With her background as a staff writer and guest contributor for Hi-Tide over the past two years, as well as her heavy commitment to Speech and Debate, Kyra has had several opportunities to voice her opinion on important issues that are often left in the dark. She looks forward to furthering her journalistic career by encouraging staff writers to provide diverse perspectives on such matters, and ensuring that the publication remains a platform for impactful discussion. While Kyra is excited to contribute to the paper by writing and editing articles, as well as fundraising, she is also eager to continue working with her fellow staff members on Hi-Tide.

Kevin Chiu, Lead Editor

Kevin Chiu is a junior at La Jolla High and is in his third year in Journalism as the Lead Editor. Kevin has been a reporter and the Sports editor in his previous two years with the Hi-Tide, giving him plenty of experience writing and editing articles. As a reporter, he covered important issues such as the beginning stages of the war in Ukraine; as the sports editor, Kevin further developed his skills in editing articles and creating the format for the newspaper. He hopes to use his years of experience to guide the new editors and reporters in their journalistic journey. In his free time, Kevin enjoys working out and running cross country with his friends.