A different person from Charlotte Latin Athletics is featured on the first Tuesday of each month with twenty questions to help the CLS community get to know some of our athletes, coaches, and supporters a bit better.
 
With the fall season officially underway, senior Serena Hu and her volleyball teammates are hard at work in the gym. This former-swimmer-turned-volleyball player is hoping to help her team build the chemistry needed to fuel a successful season on and off the court. Read on to get to know a bit about Serena!
 
1. How would you describe your family?  
When we're together, we more or less stay at home. We like to play cards or board games, or we'll watch a movie together. My dad is quiet, but competitive, and my mom is more outwardly competitive while also trying to soften the arguments between my brother, Yian, and me. He's also at Latin, going into eighth grade.
 
2. When did you start school at Latin?
I've been at Latin since the sixth grade. I went to Irwin Academic Center for kindergarten through second grades, but it was far from home. Then we moved closer to Elizabeth Lane Elementary, so I went there through fifth grade and came to Latin for middle school.
 
3. How were your first days on campus?
It was okay actually. I had a friend in my home room, Jasmine, who I knew before and I quickly made friends with Taylor McKinney. I'd met Ansley Hoffman at a summer camp before school, so I had friends and it wasn't a rough transition.
 
4. Have any classes or teachers in particular had an impact on you?
Almost all of my classes and teachers last year impacted me. It was definitely my hardest year, so I started relying on my teachers more. One that stands out is American Studies with Mr. Weiss. It was very discussion-based and we talked about a lot of stuff that I didn't know about but that I found interesting.   
 
5. As you start to consider colleges, have you found certain attributes that you prefer, or a certain subject you'd like to study?
I definitely want an urban setting. My top three schools right now are NYU, Boston University, and UC San Diego. I'm very interested in studying business with an emphasis on biotechnology or the other way around. Dr. Gee advised me to look into this route. After learning some of the content from my junior classes, I want to do something related to biology, but not med school.
 
6. Those schools are pretty far from home. Any concern about the distance?
Actually, I went to Argentina with school this summer and that made me realize I could do it. I was really nervous at first, but it turned out to be probably the best experience of my whole life. I've always liked traveling, but now I want to be more immersive into the culture of the places I visit.
 
7. How did that work? Did you stay with a host family?  
Yes. We had hosted one of the students when their group came to visit Charlotte, so I stayed with him and his family. The first conversation I had with my host family, they talked about Trump and school shootings. There was no sense of trying to be politically correct. I really bonded with my host mom and we took long walks together. It's really beautiful there, especially the city of Buenos Aires. Half of it is the old city and the other half is the new part and you can literally walk in the middle and see the difference. I feel like our group all made lifelong memories with the people there, especially with our host families.
 
8. Now the fall season is starting up. What was the sports path that led you to volleyball?
I did dance and gymnastics, then soccer, then swimming, then softball. I did rock climbing too, which I really liked, but there weren't other kids my age. I think I did swim lessons initially, then my parents signed me up for NSS (a club team), but there was a lot of turn-over there so I switched to MSA (Mecklenburg Swim Association) and also joined the Latin team. In 7^th grade, my best friend, Taylor McKinney, wanted me to join the volleyball team, so I did. I was definitely not good at it. Coach Chris (Brycki) was great though, I loved him. It was sad when he left to go back to Poland, but I'm happy for him. I would've played in eighth grade, but I broke my foot and couldn't play that season. I rejoined in 9^th grade and even though our JV team lost almost every single game, I think it was one of my favorite seasons because all my friends were on the team. That summer is when I decided I wanted to pursue volleyball, so I quit swimming and spent the summer playing volleyball or running.
 
9. Other than having your friends on the team, what drew you toward volleyball?
I liked that it was the opposite of swimming and provided balance. Swimming is a lot of alone time, but volleyball is fast points and you're with a team the whole time.
 
10. How has the team dynamic changed over the past few years?
Last year, we only had one senior. We all loved Lilly (Clark) and will really miss her. So our team was young, but athletic. We had two freshmen last year, Emily and Scarlett, with a lot of talent. We've definitely improved and I think if we can just build confidence and lean on each other, we're going to have a great season.
 
11. You're one of only two seniors on the team. Do you feel a responsibility to be a leader?   
Last year, I was appointed as a captain as a junior, but I did not feel like a leader. I think I learned a lot from that season though and feel like I'm more ready to be a leader now. Being a captain means you need to be positive and bring that positive energy to your teammates, but being a real leader requires more sacrifice and effort. I hope I'm ready to fill that role this year.
 
12. Do you have any personal goals for the season?
I want to make sure I'm always putting out my best effort, stay present, and get more consistent skill-wise.
 
13. What are your goals for the team?
One of our team goals is to talk to each other regularly and check in. As a senior, I want our team to do more together off the court and be really close. Building those bonds helps us as a team and individually.
 
14. Alright, now for the fun questions. If you could have one super power, what would it be?
To control time.
 
15. What's the best vacation you've ever had?
Argentina, if that counts as a vacation.
 
16. If money were not an issue, where would you travel?
I would take a cruise that traveled around the world, stopping at every single destination, so I could see a lot of different places.  
 
17.  Do you have a splurge food, or favorite dessert?
Maybe donuts. I don't get them often, but I really like the 99-cent one from Harris Teeter.
 
18. Who's the funniest volleyball teammate?
Zoey Sideris. She's new this year and I just met her at team camp, but she's so funny. Oh, and Allie Haynie. They're both very funny.  
 
19. Who's the best hype person on the team?
Alison Archibald or Camille Becker.
 
20. What is something people should appreciate about volleyball?
Volleyball is controlled by team energy, not just ability, and the score can change very quickly. Sometimes people in the stands get down and quiet when there's a big gap in points, but that's when they can have the biggest impact.