Meadowview Christian senior Christina Dabit was best known on the volleyball court for being calm in the face of pressure and keeping her teammates focused on the goal at hand.

When she found out she was named the Times-Journal’s 2015 Player of the Year Wednesday, she couldn’t help but express some excitement.

“I’m really shocked because I’m sure there’s much better players than me in the county, but it makes me happy because volleyball is one of my favorite sports,” Dabit said.

The senior made her mark on the court with her powerful serving and strong hitting.

Dabit said this season, she learned that placement can sometimes be more important than power. Often in matches, Dabit was able to find holes in the defense and fit the ball right into the empty space.

Senior Tayler Roberts said it was Dabit’s knowledge of the game that allowed her to exploit her opponent’s weaknesses.

“She knows volleyball really well,” Roberts said. “She knows where to put the ball.”

While Dabit’s physical skills set her apart from other players in the county, Meadowview head coach Tim Burton said it was her mental approach to the game that allowed the Trojans to find success this season.

“Her calmness of just never getting upset and never letting anybody else see she’s upset and never getting down,” Burton said. “She just stays the same in and out. Win, lose. It means a lot to her, but she never lets it go one way or the other.”

Meadowview finished this season 12-5, losing in the Alabama Christian Athletic Association state tournament in Oxford. Dabit said she was hoping for one more state championship before she graduated, but she said the team had a successful season nonetheless.

Dabit played a role in many of the wins that Meadowview accrued this season, but she said the team’s chemistry was what ultimately became integral to the Trojans’ success.

“I feel like we could have done better at the end, but during the season, we did pretty good overall as a team,” Dabit said. “We bonded really well together because we’re all really close friends and we play so many sports together.

Even though Dabit won’t be back next season, she is confident the Trojans will have continued success. Dabit mentioned Mallory Freine and Shelby Boswell as two players who should have no problem filling the leadership role that is left by Dabit’s departure.

“The class we have coming up, they have a lot of athletes,” Dabit said. “They’re going to be some of the strongest athletes that the school’s going to have for a while.”