As the volleyball flies in the air from one side of the net to the other, freshman Aleesa Andresen confidently jumps up and hits it. She not only scored a point for her team, but she also just scored herself a spot on the varsity team. It is accomplishments like this that drive Andresen to succeed in volleyball.

During the volleyball tryouts in August, Andresen was confident about her skills, but she did not yet know she was going to be on the varsity team. It was not until Head Coach Kristina Conrad mentioned the possibility of her being on the varsity team that Andresen lost her confidence.

“During the freshman open gym, I was confident. I knew I was probably really good, and I think as I got brought up to varsity that [confidence] went down because the other girls were better than me, and I felt like I had to be as good as them and at their level, but over time I realized that it’s not necessary that I have to be at that skill level since they’ve been playing for a while,” Andresen said.

Andresen was proud she made it to the varsity team, but she struggled at first. With everyone being older than her, it was hard for Andresen to feel like she fit in with the team from the start, but she didn’t let that get in her way of playing volleyball.

“At first I was really scared because they’re all older, and I was barely starting high school, but because of their personalities, I was able to get along with them fast and gain more friends. Their thrive motivates me because I want to be as good as them — maybe even better someday,” Andresen said.

Andresen began playing during seventh grade when she decided to try something new instead of cheerleading. She has been playing volleyball for two years now; therefore, she continues to work towards improving her volleyball skills. Her mother, Crystal Pacheco, recognized how her daughter continues to strive to make an impact on the varsity team, even though she only has a couple years of experience.

“She’s very hard working and likes to put her 100% effort to the things that she does; through that, she’s become quite an asset to the team. Aleesa has a lot of different qualities that make her a good player, she’s really smart and when someone tells her something she’s pretty good at making it happen. She has the determination to fully execute what she has learned,” Pacheco said.

Conrad emphasized how Andresen proved to be skilled enough to be on the varsity team from the start.

“Aleesa has a lot of athletic potential; she has a naturally strong read on where the ball is going to go which is tough for girls to do naturally. She has athleticism which allows her to be able to compete with the varsity girls. So that’s why she was brought up to the varsity level,” Conrad said.

The skills Andresen has on the court aren’t the only thing that makes her stand out from being the only freshman on the varsity team. According to one of her teammates, senior Alyssa Mojica believes Andresen has brought a lot of positivity for the team.

“She’s brought a lot of positivity because even if she is upset she won’t show it. She always has a smile on her face and is always joking around. Which I think she’s kept me positive in game situations where were struggling because of the smile she always has,” Mojica said.

In the near future, Andresen hopes to play Division I volleyball in college once her high school career comes to an end. In the meantime, she has a mindset to improve on her platform.

“I’m kind of looking to play in college but not necessarily Division I. But if I could, I’m going to try to go into Division I because I really like volleyball,” Andresen said.