There's no coasting for Alyssa Goehner. No resting on her impressive accomplishments or sitting back, enjoying the view from the top.
Life seems to find the Lakeville North senior, who navigates her world on the strength of remarkable athletic talents, a drive to use them whenever possible and a personality that naturally embraces others.
It's impossible to feel ambivalent about Goehner, the Star Tribune 2013 Metro Player of the Year. She won't let you.
"I can't sit still," said Goehner in what is clearly an understatement. "I always need to be doing something. If someone comes up to me, I'll talk to them. I'm an open person."
Carving her own path has come as naturally as breathing.
"She's always been that way," said her mother, Janis. "Before she was even 1 year old, I'd put her in one of those bouncy swings and she would swing herself. What kid can do that before they're even a year old?"
On the volleyball court, the 5-11 Goehner has a vertical jump measured at 35 inches. She has a metro-leading 630 kills this season. An intuitive defender, she often took dual roles for the Panthers: Dig out a serve, then rotate to her preferred position on the right side for a return set and a chance at a kill.
"She's one of the all-time best high school players," said Hopkins coach Vicki Swenson, whose daughter, Samantha, is among the nation's top high school setters and a good friend of Goehner's. "There's no weakness to her game."
