At 5-foot-1, Wisdom senior Claudia Guachiac isn’t the biggest player on the volleyball court.
As a libero, she doesn’t need to be. Her job is to read the court, react quickly, and keep the ball alive from the back row. What makes her story unusual isn’t her size but how recently she learned the game.
Claudia didn’t start playing volleyball until her junior year, when she stepped into a sport where nearly everyone around her seemed more experienced. Although she had an athletic background in soccer, she struggled to make the passes her team needed and often hit the floor before getting the ball to the setter.
A year later, she has transformed that uncertainty into confidence and enters her senior season determined to help Wisdom make the playoffs.
“I decided to join the volleyball team my junior year just for fun, not realizing I would take it seriously,” said Claudia.
Claudia soon learned how the game worked and how she could help her team win. But with little volleyball experience, she initially felt out of place.
“I felt out of place because I didn’t understand why everyone was so dedicated to winning, and I was just there to have fun. No matter how many mistakes or losses we had, I didn’t care,” said Claudia.
Claudia’s attitude began to shift as she realized that becoming a dependable player would require more than simply showing up for fun. She had to learn the fundamentals, correct her mistakes, and become comfortable playing defense.
“Claudia was athletically strong because of her soccer background. However, she was timid as a defensive player in volleyball,” said Wisdom volleyball coach Jaqueta Dunn. “When I began to see Claudia’s dedication to her craft, commitment to practice, and the discipline to adhere to a team schedule, I began to believe she could develop into a varsity volleyball player.”
For Claudia, one of the biggest challenges was learning to consistently make the first pass and get the ball to her setter.
“I felt angry when my passes didn’t go right because I felt the coach was picking on me a lot, and I knew I could do better,” said Claudia. “Instead of giving up, I decided to keep working no matter how hard things got.”
Claudia’s soccer instincts posed a new challenge. While she was used to attacking the ball in soccer, volleyball required her to learn timing and when to move and when to wait. Initially, her main struggle was reading serves.
“In soccer, you are trained to rush in to claim possession of the ball first,” said Dunn. “However, in volleyball, you need to be strategic in reading serves and in your placement on the court. She had to learn to break this habit in serve receive, becoming patient enough in her mind and movement to position herself under the ball rather than rushing in and missing the initial pass.”
Learning to slow down, read the serve, and position herself properly helped Claudia become more reliable in the back row.
But Claudia’s improvement didn’t come solely from the demands of team practices. She also found opportunities to work on her game by practicing with some of her male friends who enjoyed volleyball.
“Those practices improved my serving because we would serve every day,” said Claudia. “It also made me catch up with my passes. If it weren’t for my coach and my friends, I would never have been able to improve my passing and serving.”
“As Claudia put in the extra work, she developed a genuine love for the game,” said Dunn. “When she joined the team, she was extremely vocal about her preference for soccer. Now, she is always excited to pepper and begging for an additional hit to receive.”
The extra work improved Claudia’s passing and serving more than anything else. It changed her mindset.
“Volleyball taught me the next-play mentality, to move on after a mistake and not think about it. We know the mistake now; we fix it,” said Claudia.
That mentality has carried into Claudia’s senior season, when she is no longer simply trying to find her place on the court. Now, she is being asked to help lead the team from the back row.
“As a senior, she is much more confident in being a leader on the court,” said Dunn. “She is more vocally positive in leading the team and the back row in defensive strategies, rather than simply being a 100% observant participant as she was in the past. Her development is a glaring example of budding maturity and self-confidence. Her mind/mentality has always been strong. However, now it has become more adaptable to any challenge.”
With that growth has come a bigger goal: helping Wisdom make the playoffs.
“This is our year,” said Claudia. “I believe we can win because everyone is hungry for a win. Making the playoffs requires consistency, so my goal is to set a standard with my work ethic, hold myself accountable, and bring high intensity and focus to every practice, not just the games.”
For Claudia, making the playoffs would be more than a team accomplishment. It would also be a chance to honor the seniors who came before her and to make the most of her final season.
“Making the playoffs would make me feel proud because last year the seniors took a loss in their final game, and they were emotional,” said Claudia. “That made me realize I can’t just play around with people’s careers, so I promised myself I would do better and always give my full effort on each set.”
“I decided to join the volleyball team my junior year just for fun, not realizing I would take it seriously,” said Claudia Guachiac.
Now, Claudia’s challenge is to turn the skills she developed during her first two seasons into consistent production when Wisdom needs it most.
“Claudia is a high-energy player who understands adjustments,” said Dunn. “Her work ethic is displayed heavily in practice and transfers into game situations. Claudia will need to bring her quickness to the ball and her ability to make plays this season.”
A year ago, Claudia was learning how to belong on the court. Now, she’s trying to help her teammates believe they belong in the postseason.
“If I had a teammate who felt they weren’t good enough or didn’t belong, I’d tell them to keep going and not give up,” said Claudia. “If you don’t give it your all, the whole team falls down. We got this.”
