AKIRA SUWA / Staff Photographer
Cherry Hill East's Yael Einhorn loves volleyball: "I like the team aspect. You're always playing as a team. It's quick, lots of action." She played in the Maccabiah Games during the summer.
Phil Anastasia: Volleyballer's Israel trip was learning experience
Yael Einhorn went to Israel and learned about volleyball from girls from California.
Sports can be like that sometimes. You get to travel, explore caves, climb to a famous mountaintop fortress, and meet lots of new people.
Oh, and pick up some pointers from experts from the West Coast.
Einhorn, a senior setter for the undefeated Cherry Hill East girls' volleyball team, spent a month in Israel last summer competing for the U.S. junior team at the Maccabiah Games.
She said it was a great experience from a cultural and educational standpoint. She met lots of people, spent a day in the Israeli army ("Not fun," she said), and climbed to Masada to see the ruins of the fortress on the shore of the Dead Sea.
She also played lots of volleyball.
Question: How much did playing in the Maccabiah Games help you improve in volleyball?
Answer: It was amazing. I got to play with girls from all over the country. There only were three girls on the team from the East Coast. There were a lot of girls from the West Coast, and volleyball is so popular out there. I learned a lot from them.
Q: What was Israel like?
A: I had been there before because most of my mother's family lives there, and my sister lives there. But it was a great experience. We did lots of tours, explored caves, climbed Masada. One day they took us to an army base and had us be soldiers for a day. That was not fun.
Q: How long have you been playing volleyball?
A: I started my freshman year. I played a lot of basketball when I was younger but once I started playing volleyball, I loved it. I quit basketball when I was a sophomore because I wanted to play club volleyball in the winter.
Q: What do you like best about the game?
A: I like the team aspect. You're always playing as a team. It's quick, lots of action. Plus, you cheer after every point. You don't do that in basketball. We're always cheering so we're always happy.
Q: Do you have a favorite subject in school?
A: Math.
Q: What kind of music do you listen to?
A: I'm all over the place. Broadway shows, kid music, Disney, country, rap. I pretty much like everything.
Q: What's the last movie you saw?
A: Fame.
