Editor’s note:
The XCP Files will have a second guest contributor for the fall semester and
possibly beyond. She is Natalie Dove, a student at Arizona State University. These
reports are part of her journalism school curriculum.
By Natalie Dove
The XCP Files
After growing up
watching her sister play volleyball, Lanie Wagner decided it was her turn to
step onto the court.
The junior at
Xavier Prep is a six-rotation outside hitter and captain for the Gators’ varsity
volleyball team under head coach Lamar-Renee Bryant.
“She is all-around, six-rotation player
offensively and defensively. She is a really strong asset and because she’s
six-rotation, we rely on her heavily and she does a really good job,” Bryant
said.
Wagner has been on the
varsity since her freshman year and has started all three years.
During her
sophomore year, she sustained a knee injury and could not play for half of that
season.
This season has
been her best yet. Entering Tuesday’s (Sept. 27) home match against Chandler
Basha, she already had recorded 179 kills and 167 digs, and the season is not
even halfway over.
Due to her
six-rotation status, she is like a “Swiss army knife” kind of player, capable
of excelling in any type of situation. She always has felt most comfortable in
the outside position.
“I’m the best at
outside so I just wanted to do what I was best at rather than try to transfer
it,” Wagner said.
Ever since she was young, she knew she
wanted to be good at volleyball. Having played soccer and participated in
gymnastics, the Phoenix native knew volleyball was her top choice.
Once Wagner began
playing club ball, she realized her potential.
“When I was 11, on a
12’s (age) team, we won Colorado Crossroads, our first out of state tournament.
That’s when I realized, “Oh, this is pretty cool!’ ” Wagner said. “We were one
of the best in the nation.”
After continuing to pursue her volleyball
career, Wagner found that she could be really successful at it. She has started
the recruiting process and hopes to play for a NCAA Division I program.
Wagner strives to
better herself along with her teammates.
“I just want to focus on being a good leader
that my teammates look up to and that they can talk to me about anything and
they just feel comfortable around me,” Wagner said.
After coaching her for three seasons, Bryant
has had the opportunity to watch Wagner grow as a person and an athlete.
“As a person, she is a little more outspoken.
She was a freshman on varsity with a lot of upperclassmen, so she kind of had
to find her way,” Bryant said. “Now being a junior and a captain, she’s
definitely become more of a leader. She feels comfortable in this gym and it’s
been really exciting to see.”
Bryant wants
Wagner to play to the best of her ability throughout her volleyball career.
“She is our six-rotation, outside, captain and
we really need for her to perform at a high level for us to be successful,” Bryant
said. “I hope she embraces that and continues doing a great job with what she’s
done thus far in the season.
“She’s probably
one of our best servers and she’s probably our most lethal terminator on the
outside.’’
Wagner attributes her success to having great
coaches over her career and she hopes to lead the Gators to a state
championship this season and next.
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