FHS senior and varsity volleyball player Natalie Escalera began her volleyball journey in 8th grade after signing up for a youth league, which made her discover her love for the game. Since then, she has played volleyball for four years, giving her plenty of time to sharpen her skills and become a strong player. She competes not only with the FHS volleyball team but also with a club team.
“My favorite part about playing volleyball is the competitiveness and the feeling after getting a big block or kill,” Escalera said in an interview conducted over email.
Escalera has been performing phenomenally so far this volleyball season. Reaching a new career record on Sep. 10, 2025 with 37 kills – unreturnable attacks – in a single match, Escalera has no plans of stopping or slowing down for the rest of the season.
Running from late August to late October, the FHS 2025-26 girls volleyball season is in the middle of its run currently and is at the peak of its competition. Volleyball is played between two teams of six, who hit the ball over a net to score points by landing it on the opponent’s side while trying to keep it off the ground on their own side of the court. Volleyball is a difficult and demanding sport, which requires mastery of skills like serving, spiking and blocking, as well as strong teamwork and high endurance in order to win, as a match can last over an hour.
With a total of 129 kills this fall season, Escalera holds the top spot in the Central Coast Section (CCS) she also ranks highly in other categories, such as digs (saving the ball before it hits the ground), making Escalera a key player on the team. Escalera achieves this using her experience and knowledge of the game, as well as her aggressive game plan and awareness of the court.
“I would say my biggest strength in volleyball is probably offense, specifically attacking, also my role as a leader on the court,” Escalera said.
One of the biggest challenges in learning and eventually mastering volleyball is developing a wide range of skills required to play the game effectively. FHS girls varsity volleyball coach and science teacher Michelle Wagner explains the challenges involved in learning volleyball.
“There’re so many different skills that you have to master,” Wagner said. “And there’s so many different components to understanding the game as an offensive and defensive player.”
Wagner describes Escalera’s drive for success by highlighting her strengths.
“It’s her desire to win, but also she’s a big offensive threat, and she has a strong awareness of the game in terms of being able to read the hitters,” Wagner said. “She has a desire to get better each day and improve all of her skills.”
Volleyball can be very physically demanding, but its difficulty also lies in the need for team communication, as different team formations can be used to cover multiple situations on the court. All of these skillsets are needed to play well and require excellent coordination. For players like Escalera, that is one of the appeals of the game, as every match is an opportunity to improve her skills.
