Sam Cook is the 804 University Athlete of the Week

Atlee’s outside forward Sam Cook

In figures: Atlee won the Tournament of Champions last weekend, thanks in large part to the stellar play of senior Sam Cook. He recorded 54 kills, 30 digs and four aces in three matches.

On being named 804 Scholar Athlete of the Week: “That’s pretty cool.”

On his state of mind before the Tournament of Champions: “We were the underdogs, but we came through and finished first.”

On what it meant to win the tournament: “It was great. Nobody expected us to win, so it was a really positive feeling.”

On Atlee’s play in the tournament: “We played the tournament very well, so we were always able to get good shots.”

On his production during the Tournament of Champions: “I think I played very well and everyone else on the team played very well as well.”

On the Raiders team: “We’re pretty good. We’ve got two good wingers. We’ve got a good right-back and a good midfielder. So, overall, we’re pretty good.”

On what Atlee learned about himself last weekend: “I think we learned that we were definitely better than we thought. We thought we were a mid-level team, but we’re definitely a top team.

What makes Atlee different: “Just being a really good 4A team makes us stand out.”

On how he got into volleyball two years ago: “I actually didn’t like lacrosse anymore, which I played from sixth to ninth grade. I stopped and my mom was like, ‘Yeah, you need to play sports.’ So I was older and I decided to play volleyball and it worked out.”

On his progress as a volleyball player: “I played club before I played in high school, so the club coaches really helped me and made me progress really quickly.

Favorite Athlete: “Probably my sister, Riley Cook. She was named Division III Women’s Soccer Player of the Year at CNU.”

If he watches volleyball: “I watched during the Olympics. But other than that, not really.

The essentials of his pre-match playlist: “Morgan Wallen. I’m a big country fan, so he’s probably in there, but I don’t really have any specific songs.”

Favorite dish“Probably hamburgers. Hamburgers and fries.”