Senior Spotlight: Dina Gayanova

senior Dina Gayanova credits her father for encouraging her to play volleyball as a seventh grader. As a ninth grader and again as a 10th grader she played setter for the Panthers. As a junior she became an outside hitter and this year she is the team's middle hitter.

Dina noted that there are currently many players getting their first opportunities to play varsity volleyball because eight senior starters on the 2010 team had to be replaced. Team members play as a unit, she emphasized.

"We give it our all whether the team wins or loses," she said. "All the players feel united and really enjoy playing together."

Dina's said her career highlight so far was "the thrill and satisfaction of that first real, hard hit!"

First year Varsity Coach Dawn Peipher had high praise for her.

"Dina is a coachable player," she said. "She has great court awareness."

Peipher added that "Dina has been our 'go to' person all year. Wherever she is needed and whatever is asked of her, she does it without question."

Dina's school activities include the Model UN, participation for three years in Mock Trial, National Honor Society and "Spotlight Uganda" (Saucon Valley's chapter of Invisible Children), whose activities include raising money for relief efforts and providing information to raise local awareness of children being used as soldiers in Africa.

Dina likes to babysit, is involved with family activities, has volunteered where her mom works during her summer vacation and yes, she will also play volleyball for fun. Given the opportunity Dina would like to travel to Europe and the Caribbean.

She enjoys running in addition to volleyball, and she runs the one- and two-mile events as a member of the girls' track team.

She likes Italian foods, lists history, English and social science as her favorite subjects, and is presently taking a constitutional law course at Desales University. Dina said she wants to enroll at a four year college and would like to pursue a career in law.

She has a younger sister, Laura, and is the daugther of Robert Gayanova and Yulia Aleksandrova, M.D., both of whom she said have had the greatest influence on her life.