As long as I’ve known Bella Bullington — and that would be for two varsity volleyball seasons — she has always struck me as an enthusiastic, aggressive young lady.

When Bella gets her 6-foot-1 self up in the air and hits the ball with her powerful right arm, it goes down with authority.

I asked the Northwestern recruit where all of that motivation came from. Her answer surprised me.

“When I started playing volleyball, I was the smallest kid on the court, the skinniest kid on the court,” Bullington said with smile. “I couldn’t make my serve over the net.

“But as I grew, so did a drive in me that never really went away.”

This season, she figures to be the driving force for the RedHawks, who should be in the mix for a chance to make their first trip to state since 2019.

Bullington, a junior outside hitter, was a first team all-area selection last season. She and teammate Kamryn Chaney gave Marist quite a one-two punch.

Chaney, a Princeton recruit, had 438 kills. Bullington had 323. Chaney had 91 blocks. Bullington had 61. Chaney had 228 digs. Bullington had 251. Chaney had 56 aces. Bullington had 50.

The dynamic duo is now down to one, but Bullington is ready to take the reins.

“I’ve been on this team long enough and I’ve learned from players like Kam Chaney, Elise Ward and (Mary Clare) Brusek,” Bullington said. “I’ve learned what a true leader looks like on the court and off the court.

“The better I’ve gotten on the court and the more experience I’ve had playing with these people, the leadership has come naturally. I feel a lot more comfortable holding people accountable and saying, ‘OK, this is what we’re going to do.’”

Junior setter Maddie Berry is already seeing it.

“Bella’s presence is bigger,” Berry said. “I hear her all the time, telling people where to go and what to do, helping them out.”

Something else is getting bigger as well.

“Everyone is in shock every time she swings,” Berry said, beaming. “It’s so fast and she goes up so hard. And we’re connecting more than we ever have.”

Let’s go back to that motivation.

It’s hard to believe, but Bullington was just 5 feet tall heading into sixth grade. The growth spurt came the following year.

“I grew a lot in seventh grade,” Bullington said. “I was probably 5-10 by eighth grade. But I still grew a lot even when I got to high school.

“It took a lot of time for me to get coordinated. Obviously, when you’re growing that fast, it’s a lot to deal with. But as I got taller, with that I got stronger. A lot of things just came together.”

Marist coach Jordan Vidovic had a varsity spot waiting for her when she walked through the door. Bullington had an impressive freshman season for the RedHawks with 281 kills and 37 blocks.

Even then, her ability to contribute in multiple ways on the court was coming along. But she really blossomed as a sophomore.

“It’s amazing the way she’s grown,” Vidovic said. “Not just year by year, but month by month. What she’s put into her game year-round is so impressive.

“She’s just one of those kids who is as driven as it gets.”

And quite mature. When I asked her if anything changed with her commitment to Northwestern since the controversy with the football team, she didn’t shy away from me — or the school.

“It has been a crazy couple of months,” Bullington said. “But honestly, I know the people I’m committed to playing for. I know the girls. I know the coaches. I know the school. I know the atmosphere.

“When people ask me about it, I just tell them that I know what it is and I know what I’m going into. I’m super excited about it.”