Corona Del Sol’s Lauren Forte has been playing volleyball for only five years but already booked her ticket to play at a Division I school.

Forte is headed to Cal Berkeley next year after quickly developing into one of the state’s best middle blockers.  

But her high school career isn’t over just yet at Corona de Sol, which is playing in Tuesday’s 6A Conference state semifinals at Mesquite High School.

It took the 6-foot-4 middle blocker many years and playing many sports to find her calling.

“I tried track and field and also gymnastics, but when I started playing volleyball I knew it was the sport for me,” Forte said.

Her passion for the sport is what drives her to better her game and becoming the best and most competitive player she can be.

“Lauren is an amazing player,” Corona del sol coach Ben Maxfield said. “She brings so much spirit to our team and is always working to improve.”

Forte is admired by many of her teammates and have nothing but positive things to say about her.   

“My favorite thing about playing with Lauren is her drive to win, and she leads the team with her amazing play and her spirit,” said one of Forte’s very talented teammates, Brooke Nuneviller.

Her coaches and teammates both agree that Forte’s forte is her ability to elevate higher than most of the players around her, allowing her to hit over blocks and dominate at the net.

“I am super passionate about volleyball because it drives me competitively, whether it’s on the other side of the net or from my own teammates,” Forte said. “I love being challenged on the court because it makes me a better and smarter player.”

Although she doesn’t have as many years of playing under her belt, she has more than enough experience.

Forte began her club career with the East Valley Juniors before switching to Spiral Volleyball Club, one of the only two clubs in Arizona that was named AZ Region Champions in the 18’s division. Forte played with Spiral for three years until transferring to Aspire for her final season.

The thought of playing volleyball in college never even crossed Forte’s mind until she started getting interest from colleges as a freshman.

“My process started very early as a freshman, and it was very scary because there is a lot of pressure,” she said. “It’s hard to make big girl decisions like picking a college when you are a freshman in high school.”

She waited until her junior year to verbally commit, and while the process was very stressful it was well worth it, Forte said.

There were many schools scouting Forte, making it very difficult to narrow down her options.

She was receiving offers from across the nation but narrowed the list to Cal, Pepperdine, Washington State, Colorado State and USC.

But after visiting Cal her decision was made.

“I decided on Cal because of the balance of academic and athletics as well as the family atmosphere,” the senior said. “When I went on my unofficial I felt really comfortable with the players and the coaches.”

While she is nervous for the huge jump from high school to D-1, Forte has no doubts she will be able to do it.

She is head to Cal in the summer, when she’ll start workouts with the team then.

“It is kind of nerve-racking because it is all at a much faster pace and there are girls who are much bigger and stronger, but I hope to jump right in and put in the work to compete with them,” Forte said.

While she can’t wait to start practicing and playing with the big dogs, she said she is also excited to play her final high school and club matches.

(Lauren Forte)