Kayla Fobian has learned how to get a better grasp of her limitations, even though her fascination with the world leads her to try new things.

Fobian is very driven.

The East Lyme High School senior has a 3.93 grade point average, challenging herself with several Advanced Placement courses. She became scuba certified when she was 11. She took a psychology class this semester because it seemed "interesting."

"I used to be pretty bad, but I've definitely gotten better," Fobian said. "I push myself, but I know my limits. If I don't succeed at everything I want to, it's okay.

"(I realized) that as long as I try my best, if things don't always work out the way I want them to, then that's okay. I did everything I could. There was nothing more I can do."

Fobian did all she could for East Lyme this season. The Day's 2012 All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year helped the Vikings reach third straight Class L state final through both her play and leadership.

"She's top-notch in the classroom," East Lyme coach Jack Biggs said. "She obviously stays very busy. I don't know how she balances it all out. She's a great role model for the younger girls in the program.

"You can take these difficult classes. You can play volleyball. You can do all these different things."

Fobian, an outside hitter, had a team-high 209 kills, 281 digs and 77 aces. She was a first team selection to both the All-Eastern Connecticut Conference Large Division and Class L coaches all-state teams.

"Her skills both offensively and defensively are tremendous," Biggs said. "She became a good, fierce leader (this season). She's someone that could provide it at the highest level during the toughest times. I think her ability to do that, and her ability to keep her composure on the court, was a piece to our success this year."

Fobian can thank her mother, Yvette, and father, Jim, for her volleyball passion. Both played the sport and exposed her to it as a young girl in Missouri.

"From the moment I was born, I was immersed in volleyball," Fobian said. "From the moment I started playing, there's just something about it that I really liked. I got the hang of it really quickly and just loved the sport."

The Fobians moved to East Lyme before her sophomore year and she joined the volleyball program. The Vikings won their first CIAC state title that season and her junior year.

East Lyme graduated a strong senior class and didn't have much height this season. It compensated with defense and smart hitting, with Fobian being among the best at both.

"I was definitely more focused on getting better at serve-receive and defense," Fobian said. "Losing (libero) Emily (Passman) was huge because she was such an amazing defensive player last year, so I definitely felt that I had to really work on that and kind of fill the gap she left.

"I also wanted to improve my hitting. My three years here, Coach Biggs and Coach Gerbs (assistant Todd Gerbers) helped me grow tremendously. When I first moved here, I couldn't hit anything. They helped me improve so much."

Fobian hopes to attend college in Boston, preferably Boston University. She's not sure about a major, but is leaning towards psychology, which is what made her take that class this year.

"I just find it fascinating," Fobian said. "Then I thought about child psychology. I really like spending time with kids, interacting with kids. I figured that would be kind of a cool way to combine the two."

n.griffen@theday.com

The Day's 2012 All-Area Volleyball team

Ashley Adams (Fitch), outside hitter; Jillian Bartlett (East Lyme), setter; Emily Ennis (East Lyme), outside hitter; Kylie Fustini (Ledyard), middle hitter; Michelle Klinikowski (Ledyard), middle hitter; Bailey Spellman (Norwich Tech), setter; Amanda Tourjee (Waterford), setter.