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11/23/2016 11:00 PMNatalie Stanton went full circle for her Guilford volleyball career by concluding it while playing the same position she started at. In between, Natalie gained plenty of experience and confidence, and those were the final pieces she needed to unlock her potential.
Natalie had soccer pegged as her main sport until she made the volleyball squad at Adams Middle School in the 8th grade. After playing middle hitter on JV for her freshman year of high school, Natalie was called up to varsity as a sophomore and put into the right side hitting slot. Then this fall, Natalie was called on to move back to the middle full-time and did so with resounding results by recording 209 kills with 116 digs. She was also one of the Indians’ senior captains.
“My sophomore year, there were really no openings on varsity at middle hitter, so I adapted to the right side. I just took what I knew from the middle and learned some new things. I worked a lot this past offseason with practicing all different positions and I love middle hitter because it’s the position I always wanted to be,” says Natalie. “I just had to take my leadership skills, along with what I already knew, and apply it to the middle. I love volleyball because you need all six girls on the court to make it work. It’s never one person.”
Natalie says the right side doesn’t see the same amount of reps as some spots, although playing that position did allow her to showcase her defensive skills this fall. Natalie finished the recent campaign with 33 blocks, including 26 of the solo variety.
“You don’t get as many sets as a right side hitter, but I knew once I moved positions, I had to get used to different sets,” Natalie says. “Being in the middle, I was able to also block and put my strength of blocking into it.”
Head Coach Laura Meyer says that Natalie can do damage from just about any spot on the floor, while serving as a guiding influence for the Indians’ underclass athletes.
“Her hitting has improved and she works hard on trying to hit different spots on the court,” says Meyer. “She also has a great serve. She is positive both on and off the court and has had great leadership throughout the offseason and regular season.”
After Guilford waved good-bye to several seniors from its 2015 team, Natalie knew she needed to step up as both a player and a leader this season. Thanks in part to a warm team atmosphere, Natalie was able to foster considerable growth among the Indians.
“I knew after last year that I would have to move to a new position that got more sets, so I asked Coach Meyer what I needed to work on. We also organized a summer league for our team,” says Natalie. “I think confidence helped my offense this year. It was being a senior captain and middle hitter that made me realize I can do it. I had nerves, especially the first two years, and it was intimidating at first being a sophomore on varsity. The atmosphere, though, made me feel welcomed. It built confidence in me from there and then I tried to do the same with the younger girls on the team this year.”
As her time with Guilford volleyball comes to a close, Natalie appreciates how the last four years have helped her build crucial life skills for the future, in addition to deep connections between her colleagues on the court.
“Everyone here has been so welcoming. We were a small team this year, but we had good chemistry, and it came directly from girls who love the sport,” says Natalie, who thanks Coach Meyer and her entire team. “Guilford volleyball has helped me become more of a team player. It’s made a strong impact on my life and I couldn’t have wished for anything better.”