As a young girl, Samantha Taylor didn’t plan on playing volleyball until a friend suggested they both try out for a park league when she was 10.

“Now, it’s all I do,” Taylor said.

Ever since that fateful event, volleyball has been a constant activity in Taylor’s life.

At the 2007 state championships in December, Taylor was voted the tournament’s most valuable player.

“I was surprised to find out I was voted MVP,” Taylor said. “It felt good to win as a freshman, just starting out, but I know I earned it.”

Along with being awarded MVP honors, Taylor was also named the female student-athlete of the month by the California Community College Athletic Association. However, despite both awards, Taylor acknowledges the hard work of her teammates.

“A bunch of the women on the team could have won the award too,” Taylor said. “But it felt good to be the one to win it.”

Taylor has managed to accomplish all this while still nursing some serious injuries which have followed her since her high school playing days at San Pedro High School.

“I had a completely torn labrum in my right shoulder,” Taylor said. “I played with it my junior year, even though my shoulder could completely come out of its socket.”

Taylor eventually had surgery to correct the problem and was actually able to heal three months earlier than expected.

“Depending on how hard she works in the offseason, she can be a very great player next season,” coach LeValley Pattison said.

Even though the women’s volleyball team is in its offseason, Taylor, along with the rest of her teammates, is training just as hard.

“I have them on a busy schedule Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Pattison said. “They have swimming in the morning, body conditioning after that, and then we finish practice.”

Taylor admits that her busy schedule can at times be hectic.

“Even though I have a very busy schedule, I am actually doing very well in my classes,” Taylor said.

The challenge of trying to balance school, work and volleyball can be very stressful at times, but she somehow manages to keep herself afloat.

“At times, it can be a struggle, but she (Pattison) understands that I have to do well in my classes, so if I have a big assignment or a test, I can leave practice early,” Taylor said.

Taylor also counts on the encouragement of her parents.

“They support me 100 percent; they’ve never missed a game,” she said.

Once her playing career at EC is over, Taylor plans to continue playing volleyball at whatever college she decides to transfer to.

“I don’t really know where I want to transfer to, but I know I want to transfer to a division one or two in Southern California,” Taylor said. “I plan to play volleyball strictly for college; I don’t plan on playing professionally.”

Taylor plans to transfer to a university in Southern California, even though she has gone out and visited campuses in other regions throughout the state.

“I’ve visited colleges in Central and Northern California,” Taylor said. “But there’s no place like Southern California.”

After she graduates from college, Taylor hopes to return to San Pedro High and coach its volleyball team.

“I want to go back and make a difference,” Taylor said. “Sure, we won games, but we had a different coach every season.”

Taylor wants her old high school program to provide consistency for all future volleyball players.

“It wasn’t a very stable program and I want to change that,” Taylor said.

Taylor wants to use her skills and abilities to give back to the community in which she grew up.

“I want to work with kids and coach in park leagues,” Taylor said.

As for now, Taylor continues to work hard to improve her skills and to become an even better player for the upcoming season.

“Volleyball is actually a lot harder than it looks,” Taylor said.

Through her hard work and dedication, Taylor has earned the trust and respect of her teammates and coach.

“She’s very competitive, and when the game is on the line, she’s the one you want around,” Pattison said.