Aleyah Tuitele (10), a setter on James Campbell High School’s (JCHS) junior varsity girls volleyball team, said, “I’ve always loved volleyball, and of course I’d want to play in college if I ever got an offer.”
Tuitele has been playing volleyball since she was in sixth grade, and hopes to continue it after her high school career. Thinking about what comes next is scary, but with a little push from her family; she stays determined to achieve her goal.
“There’s a lot of good colleges for women’s volleyball, and I don’t mind if I don’t make it to a Division 1 school right away. I’ll just have to put in extra effort along the way.”
College volleyball for women has very specific wants. Whether to do with height, or even how an athlete is as a person on and off the court. “It’s not even mainly about skill, it’s also about your attitude,” Tuitele said. “Good and high amounts of energy and supportive attitude will definitely help you get recognized and stand out from other players.”
“Some things that I do to stand out are to support my teammates
and always have a good attitude. I practice every day even if it
is just by myself,” she said. As Tuitele continues to pursue her dream with volleyball, she also pays attention to her grades. “Grades are also a big thing. I make sure to put my student life first before my athlete side”
Colleges
Stanford University has one of the best volleyball programs as a Division 1 school. Ivy league schools like Stanford has resources to maintain best program. Although Texas is ranked number 1 best volleyball team having 1,503 points only 1.2% of women will end up playing at a Division 1 schools. These chances aren’t the best, but there are still many good Division 2 schools such as Cal State LA, winners of the 2023 women’s volleyball champions.
“No matter what college you go to, it is a hard competition to get there, so be grateful,” Tuitele said. “I made an Instagram account and I only post volleyball clips there. I mention it to coaches and share it with others to try and get recognition. I don’t just post all my good clips though. I post the ones where I make mistakes as well, nobody is flawless and plays every game perfectly, so they should know that I make just as many mistakes as them. But I’ll put in the extra effort to work on the mistakes I made and learn from them. So that by the next game we play, I will play better with more confidence as well.”
Saber Pride
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love playing at Campbell. It is such a good environment to be around. The pride that others show is amazing. The coaches that have helped me get this far are so kind and helpful.”
Tuitele talks about her family and friends, plus other students that would attend the games, being loud and cheerful whenever they played. “Home games were definitely my favorite. That’s when so many more students would show up, and they would be so loud.”
Many students weren’t able to attend the away games. But when there are home games, the pride that would show. These students represented black and orange proudly, and represented Campbell as best they could. “Being a Saber couldn’t have made me more happy. Coming into this school for the first time, and stepping on that court really gave me a scare. But the girls on my team and the community around me couldn’t have made me feel more welcome and comfortable.”
Growing Up
“Believe it or not, I actually used to play flag football. I played on a team that my uncle coached, just for fun. I enjoyed it at the time but I knew it’s not what I would want to focus on.”
Tuitele said playing volleyball with her friends made her realize just how fun the sport might be. “I played for the 808 athletics club, and I really enjoyed it” Tuitele was excited to get into high school, and continue her volleyball journey. She plans on continuing to play for the rest of her time here at JCHS.
“No matter if next year’s team isn’t as good as this one, I still want to play and help lead the team the best way I can.”
