This season, the Girls’ Volleyball team has been performing above and beyond as a Division 1 team with a current 10-4 record in the Greater Boston League (GBL) and a 10-8 overall record. A necessary part of being on a team is having skilled captains who can bring out the best in their players and lead everyone to victory.
Senior captain Jeslyn San began her volleyball career in 6th grade, just shy of when COVID started. Unfortunately, her participation came to a halt around 7th and 8th grade due to the pandemic. She claims that her love for volleyball began to truly foster during freshman year when the high school gave her a “real opportunity” to start playing.
San plays one of the most well-known and difficult positions in volleyball: libero. “I’ve always wanted to be libero, as I was the JV libero during my sophomore year,” said San. “I started working for this position in 9th grade.” The libero of the team specializes in defense and is essentially the backbone of the team: they tend to receive the most serves in games to maximize their offense and make some of the best passes.
“From day one in volleyball, she was always the person who was willing to dive all over the floor and do whatever the team asks,” expressed Coach Daniel Jurkowski. “Each year, she’s progressed more and more until senior year, and she’s libero now.”
San being one of the most reliable players on the team reflects her ability to lead as a captain and demonstrates her experience and reliability within the sport. Her bond with her teammates is as strong as cement. Her long journey in Malden and with her team has brought the Girls’ Volleyball Team many successes this season, with her positive attitude shining onto her teammates.
“She communicates with the team both on and off the court by being there for anyone whenever they need it. If someone is having a bad day she will be one of the most likely people to figure out why and handle it,” claimed her senior co-captain Abigail Lee. “She motivates people off the court if we have a rough game to keep going, and if we win she’s one of the people who cheer the loudest.”
San is also well-regarded as a great leader who can communicate through issues among her team and someone who is able to make her teammates perform as the best versions of themselves.
“She is a very motivating person whenever we have our huddles before the games and in between time-outs. Jeslyn always helps everyone at practices and gives constructive criticism so we can all be our best selves on and off the court,” explained senior co-captain Lovely Gerochi. “If there are any problems that she witnesses happening, she addresses it head-on in order to prevent it from worsening and so that she can keep us all together.”
“Her leadership has shown as the years went on. Our first year on varsity, we were both in the same boat and her skills have only strengthened on and off the court when it comes to her as a player and as a leader,” continued Gerochi.
“I’ve seen her confidence grow exponentially over the years. She has always been a great player, but she doubted her ability. Her growing confidence has made her a more decisive and an even better player,” described Lee.
The three captains have all shared a bond since the summer before their Freshman year, further cementing their friendship and trust in each other. Over the years, captains Gerochi and Lee have both watched and noticed San’s growth as a person and as a player.
Gerochi remarked that “as a player, her growth has been impeccable. She got bumped up to junior varsity during her freshman year and then was co-captain with me on JV the next year. I have had the fortune to be on a team with her all four years and be captains together for two of those years.” She added that “her leadership has shown as the years went on. Our first year on varsity, we were both in the same boat and her skills have only strengthened on and off the court when it comes to her as a player and as a leader.”.
“The girls, they see her play so hard and give everything that she has, that it’s infectious. The girls follow her lead,” expressed Coach Jurkowski. “It’s been awesome to watch because she’s a great person, too. So when you combine those two things together, you get an amazing player. She’s been an amazing captain and has had an amazing senior year.”
“My biggest goal for the season is for the team to win the Greater Boston League championship,” said San. With the accomplished season the Girls’ Volleyball team has now finished, the girls have qualified for the GBL tournament by winning ten games.
After contributing to four very successful volleyball seasons, we wonder what the future holds for San and her sports journey and how she will continue to apply her leadership skills well after high school.
