See all posts in the Kirk’s Captain Corner series

(Kirk’s Captain Corner is a regular feature that will allow Carver County residents to get to know the student-leaders of the various teams in our high schools. Today, we feature senior captain Anna O’Keefe of the Chanhassen Girls Volleyball Team.)

Tell us about your volleyball journey … from when you started to today.

I started playing club volleyball when I was 13 years old. But before that I did tons of camps with my mom. She is the one who got me into volleyball. After my first club season, I started to love the sport. I went to a more competitive club, and next year will be my sixth year playing club.

This has been such a memorable year for the conference champion Storm volleyball team.  What has been the highlight of the season so far?

The highlight of this season has either been the Marshall tournament or our game against Champlin Park. At the tournament, we were very successful getting second place. Also, the bus ride there and back was super fun playing a bunch of games with the team. Our game against Champlin Park was a five-set win making it so exciting. The energy and grit we had in the fifth set was unstoppable. We played as a cohesive unit, and it was super fun to be back on the court after being out three-quarters of the season.

You just notched a milestone with your 1,000th assist in your rivalry game against Chaska. What does that milestone mean to you?

Hitting 1,000 assists this year meant so much to me because when I had surgery in April the first thing I asked was if I would be back to play during the high school season. They told me most likely no. I used that as fuel to work even harder and stay even more diligent. Seeing all my hard work pay off through this milestone was so special to experience with my teammates, and it being against our rival was just even more rewarding.

You will play college volleyball for Northern Michigan next year.  What do you love about the school and the Wildcats program?

I love the school because of how walkable everything is and the facilities are super nice. Also, how pretty it is in the Upper Peninsula. I had never been there, and when I went to visit the campus, I fell in love. The culture around the program was so positive, and I love how the community gets behind the program and supports them.

Your mother was a volleyball legend at Stewartville High School and played in college for the Gophers. What’s the best advice she’s given you for your own high school career, as well as the college recruiting process?

I would say the biggest advice she has given me — and says to me a lot before a tryout or a big game/tournament — is “you can’t control outside circumstances and what other people think, say or do, you can only control the way you react to it.” I think I have really used this in my game, always just focusing on what I can control and what I can do. Like having so much energy, positivity, and always working hard.

We’re heading into Section play, and your team has some lofty goals.  What is your mindset heading into the postseason?

I would say the biggest thing we have to focus on is having fun and playing “Chan volleyball.” My Assistant Coach Leah always says, “TNT level 5,” which means touch and talk level five, and I feel that with those three components Chan volleyball can reach all of our goals.

What does it mean to you to be a team captain?

Being a captain means a lot to me. I feel it’s being the teammate everyone in the program feels welcomed by, feels confident in, and someone who is respected. I think that I have grown so much as a leader in the past two years instilling positivity and confidence into my teammates so they can be the best player possible.

(The Storm girls volleyball team competes in the Section 2AAA tournament starting on Tuesday, Oct 23. You can find updated tournament brackets at https://www.mshsl.org/tournaments/2025-section-2aaaa-volleyball-girls-tournament.)