Lindbergh Flyer head girls volleyball coach Atom Zuniga has coached volleyball for nine years, going on seven at Lindbergh.
Following a 14-15-1 finish in the 2025 season, Zuniga is looking forward to the athletes dictating the direction of the team more this year.
“We have so much talent and leadership on this team that I don’t need to be as involved as I have been in the past,” he said. “Most really successful teams are teams that are driven primarily by players.”
Zuniga says the team is more developed in every position due to a large portion of returning players, especially on the offensive side.
“We are fortunate that we have some really strong players that we can trust in other positions that should be able to take advantage of some mismatches.”
The team of 15 players has two already committed to play at their future universities, but not all are seniors.
Gillian Pfeiffer is a junior who is committed to Wake Forest University. She is a middle by training but has been recruited to play as a pin attacker and will be playing as an outside hitter this season. She ended the 2025 season with 223 kills, 584 total attacks and a hitting percentage of .245.
Marlee Steiner, a returning All-State player and one of five seniors on the team, is committed to the University of Missouri-Columbia. She will be back in training right after this season as she graduates in December and will be moving to Columbia in January to begin work with the Mizzou team. Also a middle by training, she will be playing as a right-side hitter. She ended the 2025 season with 221 kills, 468 total attacks and a hitting percentage of .312.
Gillian and Marlee will be joined by senior Lily Bertarelli to lead the team as captains. Lily plays as a libero and ended the 2025 season with 212 digs, 445 receptions and 24 serving aces.
Zuniga says the team leadership has been able to significantly increase the level of team chemistry and bonding across the whole program.
“One of the big changes they made early on was every time we huddle up, they always say ‘you got to be touching somebody,’ and so when we huddle up before practice, they have hands around shoulders,” he said. “It strangely has brought in a really cool sense of togetherness that you can see, and it builds trust and understanding.”
The Flyers will open their season on Aug. 31 playing away against Pacific High School.