Directing traffic and getting players in the proper positions on the volleyball court is something that comes natural to Interlake Saints senior Courtney Johnson.

Johnson, who anchors the Saints defense on the back line from her Libero position as a defensive specialist, has led the Saints to a 6-3 overall record thus far. The Saints have five senior starters on the roster and are poised to make a run at the Class 3A state tournament in Lacey this November.

“I think this year we’re really working more as a team. We have a lot of veterans on this team,” Johnson said. “It is really nice to have that experience. The freshmen on the team fit in really well too. They play like veterans. We have a really good vibe as a team.”

Interlake head coach Melissa Leibole said Johnson is the undisputed leader on the floor for the Saints.

“Courtney is a dominant back-row player. When she is on, the team is on,” Leibole said. “We feed off her energy when she gets an amazing dig. It just brings up the entire team. She thrives off of her defense and she is always in the back row talking. She is just a big leader on the court.”

Johnson admitted she wasn’t always the most positive vocal leader but that her attitude has changed immensely this season.

“I think over the years I used to struggle a lot with keeping a good attitude. My teammates have really helped me to develop into a better leader and a better teammate,” Johnson said. “I like to build a positive vibe around myself and my teammates.”

The senior volleyball star said she’s played volleyball ever since she was 11 years old when she joined the Northwest Juniors Volleyball Club.

“I have been surrounded by volleyball my whole life. I have always loved it,” Johnson said. “My parents met playing volleyball so they kind of got me into it. I like to play volleyball all year around. It just brings me so much joy.”

Johnson said the Saints will take things one point, one match a time and will not get ahead of themselves despite the success they’ve experienced in the first half of the season.

“We talked about goals at the beginning of the season and on our goal sheet is to make state. I have all the faith in the world in this team that we can do that,” she said. “We’re going to take little steps at a time and I think going to state is a possibility for sure.”

Leibole concurred with Johnson’s sentiment.

“I think we’re a little more experienced. We only lost three seniors from last year and two of them were starters. Going into this season we definitely said we wanted to be in the top three in KingCo (Conference). Right now we’re right about there. We’re hitting the halfway point of the season and teams are starting to get better,” Leibole said. “Obviously we want to get to the playoffs and make it to state if we can, but we got a lot of work to do to get there.”

Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@bellevuereporter.com