Wilmington Friends’ Alyssa Nathan during Friends’ 3-0 win against St. Mark’s at Wilmington Friends School in September.
Wilmington Friends’ Alyssa Nathans during Friends’ 3-0 win against St. Mark’s at Wilmington Friends School in September.
Friends’ Alyssa Nathan plays the ball in the third game of Friends’ 3-0 win at Wilmington Friends School Wednesday.
Setter Alyssa Nathan had 56 assists in two matches for Wilmington Friends last week.
Wilmington Friends’ Alyssa Nathan during Friends’ 3-0 win against St. Mark’s at Wilmington Friends School in September.
ALYSSA NATHAN, junior, Wilmington Friends volleyball
THE WEEK: Had 27 assists, seven digs, three kills, one ace and two blocks in a 3-0 victory over Tower Hill last Tuesday. Added 29 assists, seven digs, three blocks, a kill and an ace in a 3-0 win over Sanford on Wednesday.
THE EFFORT: “I give my 100 percent in every game,” Nathan said. “If one of my skills fails me, then I try to make up for it in just hard work and determination.”
THE COACH SAYS: “Alyssa’s work ethic probably makes her one of the most valuable players in the state,” Quakers coach Barb Fitzgerald said. “She never gives up. She works so hard at practice, no matter what drill we are doing.”
THE SETS: Nathan’s primary job is to get the ball to hitters Danielle Nathan (her sister), Alexandra Musi and Delaney Martin in the right place for a kill. “Each of the hitters likes it a little different,” she said. “… You’ve got to change your sets to please the hitters, because at the end of the day they are going to smash the ball. I’m just setting them up to do their job.”
THE VERSATILITY: Nathan leads the Quakers in assists, but often scores in every category during a match. “She definitely is one of our best servers,” Fitzgerald said. “And she clearly plays a lot of defense, and does not mind getting set once in a while for a kill.”
THE GOALS: The Quakers are 9-1, the only loss coming to Padua on Sept. 18. Friends faces a big test against defending state champion Archmere on Tuesday. “Hopefully, we’ll keep progressing through the end of the season and into the state tournament,” Nathan said. “But really, we just try to focus one game at a time, one point at a time really.”
THE CLASSROOM: “I like math. That’s what I’m really passionate about,” Nathan said. “It’s really fascinating to me, the complexity of numbers and the way you can manipulate them to explain almost everything.”
THE FUTURE: Nathan would like to continue playing volleyball in college, but not at the highest level. She is considering several small colleges on the East Coast.
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