Jaylin Motley got into her sport later than most athletes do, but once she played volleyball as a freshman at Torrance High School, she knew it was for her.
One thing that made sure she stayed with the sport was her height. Motley stands at six feet tall and can see that her height has given her an advantage over other girls during games.
“(My height) was something that I was insecure about growing up so having volleyball to really embrace it was super awesome for me,” Motley said.
When on a volleyball court, it’s easy to spot Motley for her physical features.
What may be even easier to see is the impact she has on the game. Her teammates and coaches see her as a leader that knows how to finish and knows that it takes to win.
Motley is second in the South Coast – South conference and No. 40 in the state with 3.47 kills per set. She’s totaled 215 kills this season, which is good for second in the conference and No. 20 in the state.
What drives Motley to play so well was suffering a five-set loss at the State Championship to L.A. Pierce College. Then freshman Jaylin Motley underperformed in that game and she still feels bad about it, nearly a year later.
“I didn’t have the performance I thought I would and I think that’s what pushes me to work hard is knowing that I feel like I have to make up for that game. It pushes me to want to get better so we can get back to that (State Championship) and show myself that I can do more than I did.”
Recently, the Warriors played the L.A. Pierce Brahmas and won in five sets, coming back from a 2-1 set deficit.
That victory was a relief for Motley, but the end-goal is to win the State Championship.
“I was so emotional,” Motley said. “I literally felt all the guilt of playing bad at state come off my shoulders. I couldn’t have asked for more from my teammates, we all laid it out.”
Despite beating No. 4 ranked L.A. Pierce, Motley still has No. 13 Long Beach in her sights.
According to Motley, EC hadn’t lost to Long Beach until this season, so the home game against Long Beach on Wednesday, Nov. 8 is circled on her calendar.
“We’re all anxious about that game, we’re been working hard. We know if we want to win conference, we have to win that game.”
EC head coach Liz Hazell has definitely seen Motley’s progression as a player and a leader in the past two seasons.
“She’s really embraced being a leader this year. Jaylin has taken on being very vocal out there, so that really helps us,” Hazell said. “Her hitting this year is 100 times better than last year, she’s hitting balls hard all the time.”
Her teammate for two seasons, Aiko Waters, can see Motley’s growth as a player and as a teammate.
“She’s great. She has a great attitude. I look to her when I’m down,” Waters said. “(This year) she’s more aggressive, she’s more focused and she just wants it.”
Some of Motley’s favorite teammates are Taylor Brydon and Micah Hammond.
Motley said she owes a lot of her hard work because of them.
“Playing with them really gets me in a competitive mindset and makes me want to work hard and be as good as them,” Motley said. “They really are amazing athletes.”
