Caitlin Fowble is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism graduate student assigned to cover Deer Valley High School for AZPreps365.com.

Many people may find the transition from gymnastics to volleyball unusual, but for Sam Gloria, the switch was seamless. 

Gloria’s skillset as a gymnast helped her develop into the strong player she is on the court today.

“When she was a kid, she was always moving nonstop, jumping, moving, skateboarding. I mean, just full energy,” Gloria’s father, Luke, said. 

With all that energy as a kid, it seemed natural to put Sam into gymnastics. She started tumbling at 7 years old. Prior to her start as a gymnast, she was also a dancer. 

“She just had a natural ability for movement and athleticism,” Gloria’s mother, Amber, said. “I think she just could move and could jump.”

After taking some tumbling classes and working with coaches, Sam was offered a position on the competition team. “She kind of just grew really fast in gymnastics and leveled up quickly,” Amber said. 

Sam competed in gymnastics for about three years before she was offered the opportunity to move up to level six.

“Level six is where they start, like really doing some of the harder tricks on the bars, and like backflips and stuff on the beam,” Amber said. “So it was going to get a little bit more challenging.”

It was around this time that Sam decided to leave the mat behind and make her way to the volleyball court.

“Leaving gymnastics was hard because it’s more of an individual sport and I was only worried about myself for the majority of the time,” Sam said. “I got into volleyball around seventh grade because my brother and sister had been doing it and I wanted to be more like them.”

The transition from gymnastics to volleyball made sense for Sam since both of her siblings played the sport. 

“She had been to all their games and had joined some interests with what they did,” Amber said. “So we put her in the YMCA to try.”

When Sam was 11 the Gloria family had all three of their kids playing volleyball, which made for a hectic practice schedule. 

“Well it worked out, but it was crazy busy,” Amber said. “It seemed like we were always at a volleyball game or a practice every night of the week with three of them.”

With all three siblings playing club and school volleyball, the Gloria household has been all about the sport for the past 10 years. 

When she got to high school, Sam made the varsity volleyball team as a freshman, alongside her older sister, Gabby. The older Gloria sibling graduated from Deer Valley in 2022, and got to play three of her four years as a Skyhawk next to her little sister. 

Not only did Sam join her sister at Deer Valley, but her mom is in her ninth year teaching at the school, which also happens to be her alma mater. 

Gloria’s brother, Logan, was already playing volleyball at Centennial High School when his mother started teaching at Deer Valley, so he did not join his sisters as a Skyhawk.

The youngest Gloria was quick to make an impact on her team, despite being one of the youngest players. 

“We knew about Sam prior to her arrival on campus as her older sister was already a varsity player,” coach Jackie Wallace said. “You could definitely see the natural talent when Sam was a 14-year-old freshman.”

A lot of Sam's natural talent did develop during her time as a gymnast. 

“Doing so many strong workouts in gymnastics, I think it transferred over for how high I am able to jump and how powerful my swing is,” Sam said. 

Gloria’s parents echoed Sam’s thoughts, saying that the core awareness and strength that is needed as a gymnast gave her an edge to continue growing as an athlete. 

“When you're a gymnast, everything is about your balance and your core and your strength and your body awareness,” Amber said. “I think that's really helped her level up with her skills in volleyball because her body awareness was so tight and solid and flexible.”

Sam’s breakout season occurred during her sophomore year when she helped her team reach a No. 1 ranking in the state and an appearance in the semifinals of the state tournament. 

“Physically, Sam grew about 4-5 inches and now stands close to 6 feet tall, which as a hitter in volleyball, is always a positive,” Wallace said. 

During her sophomore season Gloria had 104 kills, 15 blocks and 26 digs. Now in her senior year, Sam has only gotten better as a player and a leader for her team. 

As a senior, Sam is tied with teammate Amanda Hardt with 395 kills and leads her team with 312 digs. Hardt and Gloria are also currently first and second in the state with their impressive kill totals.

“Sam has never had an issue leading the team on the court with her play. However, this year the responsibility of leading has fallen to her and her fellow captains,” Wallace said. “She wants to compete...and raises the level of her teammates’ play as well.”

Sam's parents have enjoyed watching their daughter develop into the strong leader that she is on and off the court. 

“I'm very proud of how she's handling things and being such a good support system to her teammates, for sure,” Amber said. 

This season, Sam is looking to continue leading her team both on and off the court. Deer Valley (7-4) continues its season Wednesday in a match at Estrella Foothills (11-0, 9-0).

“I love watching Sam play,” Wallace said. “So we are all going to cherish every game of our season.”