LG’s Natalie Blackwell is Newest Fayette County Player of the Week

Natalie Blackwell is a senior volleyball player at La Grange high school who has led her team to a 14-13 overall record and a 9-1 record in district, along with a chance to clinch a share of the district title if they win their final game this Saturday.

She has 188 kills on the season and even made a position change due to a shortage of starters in order to keep her team’s hopes alive for a piece of the hardware. “She has really grown into her own as a player,” said La Grange head volleyball coach Leslie Coltrain. “It’s nice knowing that if we have to move her around, I can do that.” This is Blackwell’s third year on varsity and she’s contributed on all ends, starting her varsity career as a utility player before being moved to the middle last season. This year, she was moved to the outside. “We’re pretty blessed to have Natalie as a part of the team. She’s really stepped up and done a tremendous job as a leader this year for us. It’s something that she’s had to learn, especially stepping into that leadership role. It’s something that everybody has to learn. It’s not necessarily fun all the time, but she’s done a really good job at it.” Blackwell’s production all over the court has secured her a spot for this edition’s Player of the Week.

Question: What are some things that make you the most proud to be a student-athlete at La Grange high school?

Answer: “One of the things that makes me the most proud is the teammates that I have. They do a really great job of coming out here everyday and working their butts off to be a part of this team and to get where we’ve gotten. We kind of started off a little bumpy, but we’ve learned how to really play together and work together. I’m so proud to be a part of this team and to have gotten where we are today.”

Question: With many players sidelined during district play, what was it like having to switch positions in order to keep your team’s hopes alive for a share of the district title?

Answer: “It was kind of like a blast from the past. We moved a lot of things around, but we were able to really get the job done and work together. Playing middle, it took me a little bit to get back into it, but once I got into the groove of things it kind of got normal and now I’m trying to get back into the groove of playing outside again. We all played together and did a really good job.”

Question: What would you say is the most important part about being a senior athlete?

Answer: “Being a leader. All the younger girls really look up to you. They look to you whenever you’re down or look to you whenever you’re up and the biggest part is showing no fear in proving to them that you can be there for them to lean on and that you’re not afraid to back down from any fight. Just leading them and letting them know that you’re there for any moment that they need you to be.”

Question: Can you describe a particular experience during your high school tenure that has stood out to you?

Answer: “Last year in our first round playoff game, we went in as the underdog against Needville. That was one of the best games I’ve had and also that we had as a team. We played together and there was so much energy. Afterwards, we all cried together because it was just the best feeling that you could ever possibly have. We were all so excited. The whole crowd was going crazy. The feeling is indescribable and unforgettable.”

Question: How often do you practice volleyball outside of school?

Answer: “Not too often. Leading into to this year, I didn’t really get to practice at all because of COVID. We kind of went into it and just threw things together and found that I was playing a new position. I practice when I can and I work hard when I know I’m going to be doing something different because I want to be the best that I can be instead of sitting back and making a fool of myself.”

Question: If somebody asked any one of your teammates about you, what would they say?

Answer: “Goofy. I try to bring light to every practice and every game. I think you always play the best whenever you’re happy and outgoing. I know I do. I always try to be as goofy as possible while still taking it seriously. They all definitely say that I’m goofy.”

Question: What does your average day look like during volleyball season?

Answer: “Wake up, go to school, work out during volleyball period. Right after school, doing our jump ropes and then doing our volleyball warm-ups. Staying until about 5:45 to 6 and then going home, doing as much homework as possible and trying to go to bed at a reasonable time so I’m not grumpy the next day.”

Question: If you had to support the statement saying that the world needs sports, why would you say it needs them?

Answer: “I think sports teach you at a young age how to be a leader. It puts you in positions that you have to learn to fight to get out of. It teaches you to play together and not be selfish. You have to put the team first if you want to succeed. I think kids need to learn to focus on that instead of going through life thinking that it’s about them and realize that there’s a whole bigger picture behind everything that you do.”

Question: What are your goals and plans after high school?

Answer: “I am going to attend Texas A&M and I’m majoring in kinesiology. I want to become an occupational therapist because my biggest thing that I love to do is help people.”

Question: If you were able to mentor future high school volleyball players, what kind of advice would you share with them?

Answer: “Have fun. You only get to play for so long and you have four years to make the most of it. Live in the moment, work your hardest every single day because you don’t get it back. Don’t get down on yourself. That’s just going to cause you be sad where as you’re only going to remember the fun times that you had in the good not the bad.”

Blackwell provides the example that taking initiative goes a long way, no matter what kind of role in which it may present itself.