I host “WP Sports Desk” for WPTV every Friday.

But I’ve never been as nervous as I was last week.

For the first time, I confronted a new challenge: conducting an interview live on air. William Paterson won the NJAC tournament last month for the first time in three decades, and the captains on the women’s volleyball team, defensive specialist Ciara Feliz and outside hitter Cecilia Miller, were coming to the WPTV studios. I would be anchoring the show with my colleagues, Matt Goldman and Julia Menn.

I tried to tell myself this was just another episode. I went about preparing all week the same as I always do. But by Friday, Dec. 6, I felt like a hundred butterflies were in my stomach. As I waited at the TV studios in Hamilton Hall, I saw Feliz and Miller arrive. My stomach turned. My hands were sweaty.

It’s not that I was unprepared. I knew the Pioneers had beaten Stockton in three seats, ending the season with a 22-9 record and undefeated at home. My co-hosts and I were going to ask Feliz, a senior, and Miller, a sophomore, about the team’s historic season, which earned them an automatic bid in the NCAA Division III tournament.

Still, when the cameras started rolling, I was so nervous that I had to start over. I felt a lot of pressure as the host. Of course, I want our show to look great.

Soon, Feliz and Miller were settling in at the desk. The floor manager asked each of us to read the prompter for mic checks. My voice was shaking so much that I could barely read the words on the screen. I could tell our guests were also anxious. I turned to Miller and said, “I’m nervous, too. I’m the host and I do this every week.”

A few minutes later, the floor manager announced, “Quiet on set.” Waiting made me even more nervous, anticipating the start. But besides a few hiccups, the interview mostly went well. You can watch it here.

I reconnected with Feliz and Miller afterward to ask how they felt. “I was a little nervous,” Miller said. “But once I saw the layout and saw the opening clip be filmed, I felt much better.” Feliz said she was “able to flow through the conversation” and left the studio “very thankful.”

I realized we’re all in the same boat. Even as the “Sports Desk” host, I’m still learning. I think my nerves show how much I care about what I do. Mistakes happen in TV, and that’s OK, as long as you keep going.