Natalie Wellskopf walks into the coaches office wearing a volleyball tournament shirt, black spandex, and a big red bow. She nervously steps into the office and takes a seat, her JV volleyball tryout playing over and over again in her mind. The coach hands her an evaluation sheet and explains to Wellskopf that she would not play volleyball that season.
Wellskopf, senior, played libero, the designated back row position, her freshman year on the A and B team. Trying out for the team her sophomore year, she did not make the cut.
“Getting cut felt really bad because I have never known anything different than volleyball,” Wellskopf said. “I thought volleyball was the only thing I would ever be good at.”
Wellskopf began playing volleyball in kindergarten because her older sister played for years as well.
“I am always one to prove myself wrong, so when I got cut I knew that volleyball wasn’t over,” Wellskopf said. “I knew I did not want to give up.”
Wellskopf decided to try out for the volleyball team her senior year. She wanted to end her last year of high school the same way she started.
“It was definitely scary stepping back out there and trying out again with the risk of getting cut again. I was definitely not confident. I felt sick,” Wellskopf said. “I did not want to feel that cut feeling again.”
Wellskopf played on club teams when she wasn’t playing for school to ensure she would not fall too far behind the other players.
“I started off rusty when I came back,” Wellskopf said. “But I think playing volleyball is natural for me since I have been playing for so long. It was like riding a bike I got right back where I started.”
Although Wellskopf sits on the bench for a majority of the game, she cheers on her teammates by barking and cheering.
“Of course I want to be on the court,” Wellskopf said. “But everyone has their place on the team and mine right now is to sit on the bench and be ready whenever I am needed.”
Wellskopf does not plan on continuing playing volleyball in college. Instead she hopes to attend cosmetology school and become a hairstylist.
“I am so glad I decided to try out again because I realized this is what I want to be doing and these are the girls I am meant to be with my senior year,” Welskopf said.
