Former Highland multi-sport star LaPorta has strong freshman college volleyball season
Just a little over a year removed from being a multi-sport star in basketball, volleyball, soccer, and track at Highland High School, Bella LaPorta is making her mark in Division II volleyball at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri.
LaPorta, a rangy and talented 6-foot outside hitter, came on strong after a slow start last fall and turned in a very solid freshman season in 2021 for the Cardinals, who compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
“I think it was definitely a change going from high school to college volleyball, so I think it took me a little bit (of time) to get used to how fast it is. But once I got the hang of (the speed) of it, I was definitely able to get going for sure,” said LaPorta, a 2021 HHS graduate.
In the first half of her freshman season, LaPorta struggled to find consistency at her outside hitter spot. That began to change thanks to a strong showing against Tiffin (Ohio) University on Oct. 16. The Cardinals lost a tough 3-2 match decision but LaPorta shined as she recorded 15 kills and 3 blocks.
A few weeks later on Nov. 2, LaPorta topped that performance with a season-high 19 kills, three blocks, and two aces in a 3-2 match loss at Rockhurst University.
LaPorta credited her teammates with helping finally get her offensive and defensive game gelling during that stretch.
“I think that was right in the middle of our season and I was getting a lot of playing time ... my teammates were always there helping me, so as a freshman you’ve got to have your upperclassmen to help you out,” LaPorta said. “They did a good job with that, so it helped me do really well in those games.”
While LaPorta had to make a big adjustment to the speed college volleyball, she also noted the mental focus and preparation on and off the court in practice and game situations were much more intense for her as a freshman at William Jewell compared to HHS.
For LaPorta, the biggest shift as a freshman with the Cardinals was changing her year-round focus from doing multiple sports in high school to being strictly a full-time volleyball player.
“I think probably the biggest change was that I was a multiple-sport athlete in high school and now I’m just doing volleyball in college,” LaPorta said. “So, I kind of had to fix my mindset into I’m just doing volleyball (now) and I gotta focus just on volleyball whereas in high school I would focus on volleyball, basketball, and all of that. So just being focused on volleyball year round I felt that was the biggest difference.”
Reflecting on freshman season, summer workouts
LaPorta thoroughly enjoyed her first season with her Cardinals teammates and coach Carolyn Beck and is fully invested in the culture at William Jewell.
“I love them,” LaPorta said. “Obviously they’re some of my favorite people and I get to be around them every single day, so you learn to love them and learn they’re going to be your family. I’ve had a great relationship with my coaches and my teammates, so it worked out really well.”
As her summer winds down, LaPorta has been busy hitting the weights and working on conditioning to prepare for preseason practices next month.
“We’re obviously doing lots of weightlifting and conditioning and just getting us prepared for the preseason. I’m just trying to get as many touches on the volleyball that I can whether it be with my family, or against the wall or with my teammates — even just touching a volleyball (daily) is going to help me,” she said.
Ready for sophomore season
LaPorta is looking to steady her overall game as a sophomore. That is her goal for this fall.
“I think I definitely need to work on being more consistent,” LaPorta said. “As a freshman I was kind of all over the place and I had some really good games and some really bad games, so I’m hoping to find a middle ground where I can just be consistent all the time.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 9:06 AM.