BY MARK MORING, Eastern Shore Post —
Most days, Olivia Mason stands an even six feet tall, which came in handy as she led Chincoteague High School’s volleyball team to the Eastern Shore District championship last fall. At season’s end, she was named District Player of the Year.
But some days Mason stands about 6-foot-6 if you count the tall crown she wears as winner of the Miss Chincoteague pageant. Mason wore the crown, and the accompanying sash, at a few recent community appearances — including Pony Penning Days, the Volunteer Fireman’s Carnival, and the town’s Blueberry Festival.
“When I wear the crown, people are like, ‘Wow, you’re really tall, Miss Chincoteague,’” Mason says, laughing. “But I love it. I enjoy going to these events, taking pictures with people, and representing my town. I take pride in it.”
But Mason truly stands tallest on the volleyball court. The senior middle hitter and team captain “eats, sleeps, and breathes volleyball,” says her coach, Tylar Libertino. “She does not take a break. Every year, she just gets better and better.”
Mason started playing volleyball in the seventh grade and immediately showed promise. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she never had the opportunity to play on a team until ninth grade. She mostly sat the bench that freshman year and worked hard in the offseason to improve.
In a preseason scrimmage game as a sophomore, Mason caught the eye of referee Rob Pinchak, founder of the FreeState Volleyball Club in Snow Hill, Md. “He said I had a lot of raw potential and talent,” Mason remembers. “And he recruited me to be on his club team at FreeState.”
That turned out to be Mason’s big breakthrough. “I was already crazy about volleyball, but that skyrocketed my interest completely,” she says. “I started focusing on my mechanics in hitting, serving, everything. I learned everything I know at FreeState.”
When her junior season — last fall — rolled around, it soon became clear that Mason was the district’s premier player. She led the Ponies to a 6-0 record in the district and 12-7 overall. They advanced to the regional semifinals before losing 3-1 to Middlesex.
Despite the loss of six seniors, including three all-district first-teamers, Libertino believes this will be another good year. The Ponies open their season Aug. 20 at Wicomico and play again the next day, hosting Broadwater.
“I feel like the energy from last year is just going to roll over to this year,” says Libertino. “Especially to Olivia and Aly. They’re going to go out with a bang.”
Aly is senior setter Alyson Clark, also a first-team all-district pick last year who plays on the FreeState club team with Mason.
“We have a lot of new girls this year,” Mason says. “But I’m pretty confident about them.”
Mason hopes to play college volleyball and has already gotten some looks from Division III schools. She wants to attend a smaller school so that volleyball won’t be all-consuming, and so she can focus on academics. She has a 4.0 GPA and is interested in the sciences, possibly pre-med.
Away from volleyball — and when she’s wearing the sash and crown — Mason works at Mister Whippy, the town’s legendary ice cream shop. She’s also involved in community service through the school’s Future Business Leaders of America club and at St. Andrew the Apostle Roman Catholic Church. “My faith is an important part of my life,” she says.
Mason is the daughter of Duffy and Cathy Mason. Duffy works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) at Wallops Island, and Cathy is the librarian at Chincoteague Elementary School. Mason also has an older brother, Evan, a senior at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut.
Olivia says she’s grateful for a supportive family. “They’re my biggest fans,” she says.
And she wants to make the most of her final season as a Pony.
“It’s hard to believe it’s my senior year,” she says. “These four years have flown by, and I’ve really enjoyed bonding with my team and playing with my best friends. We might come from a small town, but you can be small but mighty.”
