5 Things to Know: Monroe volleyball player Tatum McGovern

Even in the most stressful situations, Monroe senior volleyball player Tatum McGovern finds ways to lighten the mood, often by singing the Bearcats’ unofficial team song — “How Far I’ll Go” by Auli’i Cravalho from the “Moana” soundtrack — or dancing during matches.

“She works hard, but she has a special talent for doing it with a light-hearted demeanor,” Bearcats coach April Munoz said. “She has fun at all times. She’s competitive and she pushes her teammates, but she does it in a positive way.”

McGovern has been Monroe’s starting setter for the past three years and a member of the Bellevue-based Sudden Impact club team for the past five years.

Here are five things to know about McGovern:

She’s recovered from a serious hand injury. When McGovern was a sophomore, she suffered a broken right ring finger during a club match. She underwent surgery and worked to rehabilitate the injury for nine months. “It was horrible,” she said. “Going through rehab was a long, hard process, but I came back (more motivated) than ever to get better. In a way, I’m grateful (for the injury) because it made me realize so much about myself and my love for the game.”

She’s played beach volleyball since she was 10. McGovern and Samantha Zimmerman, a senior outside hitter for the Bearcats, have teamed up to compete in summer tournaments at Alki Beach in Seattle for the past several years. “In beach volleyball, since there’s only two players, you get a lot of touches on the ball, and you learn a lot about technique and playing smart,” she said. “It helps you to become more of an all-around player, and you can (translate those skills) to the indoor game. It pushes you to the next level.”

She’s a budding filmmaker. McGovern has made several vlogs, which are available on YouTube. “I made my first vlog two years ago at an Associated Student Body camp at Mount Triumph,” she said. “Mostly I film videos when I travel somewhere — I did one when I went to the national tournament with my club team last July. They’re so much fun. I do it mainly for other people. I love to get feedback, which has been positive — when I filmed one of our football games, everyone wanted to be in front of the camera.”

She’s involved in several school leadership activities. McGovern is Monroe High School’s senior class president, and she’s also a member of the school’s Link Crew and DECA clubs. “Through all of these different clubs I’ve been involved in, I’ve met some of my best friends,” she said. “I love helping others and being involved and knowing what’s going on at all times. I want to leave my mark on the school.”

She considering studying business in college. “I’m very indecisive, but I’ve enjoyed my marketing classes, and I’m a pretty outgoing person, so the whole business networking thing interests me,” McGovern said. “It would be cool to involve my (interest in video and photography) in a marketing job. I could also go into communications or advertising. I’ll probably go to four-year university — hopefully in a sunny state like California to get out of the rain.”