Trey Jordan is a sophomore at Arizona State University assigned to cover Corona del Sol Athletics.

Right down the road from Arizona State’s new beach volleyball facility is Corona del Sol High School, where Taylor Erickson is gearing up to attend Marymount California University next fall. (Beach volleyball was an NCAA club sport from 2011 until 2016, when it became an sanctioned sport.)

Erickson said beach volleyball is different from traditional indoor volleyball in that it’s a partnership and players must buy in for each other.

“With beach, you have to do all of the skills. You have to be pretty well-rounded in everything,” said Erickson. “You’re playing for another person. It’s not just you on that court.”

Erickson started focusing on beach volleyball her junior year after becoming the starting setter on the indoor team earlier that year.

“We asked Taylor to step into that role, a position she had never played before,” head volleyball coach Ben Maxfield said. “She threw herself into the position. Taylor developed into a strong setter and helped lead our team to the state tournament.”

For Taylor, playing sports was how she learned to make friends and be social.

“I was a very shy child. Playing volleyball and constantly being around people helped me get out of my shell,” said Erickson. “Without volleyball I probably wouldn’t be friends with half of my best friends right now.”

Her mother, Lauri Erickson, got her daughter into the sport when she was asked to coach a city league team when Taylor was young.

Volleyball has also taught Erickson the value of leadership and she was rewarded this season by being chosen as a captain. On the court, the captain is the coach and must make sure every player knows what's going on. They also must make sure everyone works together for the team. Erickson prides herself on this skill.

“One of my biggest strengths is management,” said Erickson. “I’m pretty good at managing different people, getting along with different personalities and just making sure everyone is doing well,” said Erickson.

From a once bashful child, these words of confidence mean everything to her mother.

“To watch her grow from our shy little girl to someone who is respectful, kind, believes in her convictions, and fights for her team and what she believes in has been quite the transformation,” said Lauri. “We are so proud of her and her accomplishments and couldn’t be more excited for her to play in college.”

Erickson described herself as a defender first, even on the sand. However, off the beach, Erickson enjoys painting and graphic design.

“I want to go into graphic design and website design,” she said. “I could also go into film production with my degree.”

The senior has already gotten a jump on her curriculum with a photography class and a Photoshop certification underway.

Being a leader is important on and off the court and Erickson is no exception. Erickson not only keeps teammate energy up, but she also scores points and wins matches. Currently the Aztec beach volleyball team is 9-2 and ranked No.4 in Arizona.

Erickson inspires confidence in not just herself, but in everyone around her.

“I know that when she steps on the court for us that there is a high probability that she will win the match and earn a point for our team,” said Maxfield.