Sophomore Anakela Francisco, who plays women’s volleyball for Allan Hancock College, may not save lives, but every game she saves her team from their opponent’s ominous spikes. She’s ranked third in the Western State Conference—fourth in the state—with an impressive 268 digs.
Despite her obvious talent, Francisco didn’t always have her eyes set on the volleyball court.
“I was really into soccer—it was my passion—and I had been playing nearly all of my life,” Anakela said. “I couldn’t play here, though, because there weren’t enough girls to fill the team.”
Even though the two sports have their differences, Anakela was no stranger to volleyball: She had seven years of experience and some awards under her belt. And her experience in one sport did translate somewhat to the other.
“Soccer helped me out in volleyball,” she explained. “It increased my ability to read my opponents a lot better.”
The move wasn’t all easy, though. Anakela faced a bit of an obstacle when she started on the volleyball team: Fresh to the roster at Hancock, she was going through the motions of a new position. In high school, she played setter, but Hancock had her on defense.
“Last year, she was adjusting to defense,” said Julio Molina, Hancock’s women’s volleyball coach. “She played well, though, and she’s really improved immensely.”
That improvement is apparent to anyone looking at stats from any game she’s played this season. Facing Oxnard on Oct. 14, she tallied 44 digs and 4 aces; playing against Santa Monica on Oct. 2, she racked up 35 digs. She’s been averaging 5.83 digs a game.
In the off-season, Anakela is a math tutor for Allan Hancock College’s tutoring center. So what lies in her future?
“I love math, but what I am hoping to study in college would be something like sports therapy,” she said. “As for colleges, though, I’m going to hope for an offer from a college.”
This article appears in Oct 22-29, 2009.