Malden High Senior Captain leads Tornado Girls Volleyball to 4th straight State Tourney ride

Jeslyn San: A valuable, vibrant volleyball senior embraces leadership role

By Emily Weihrauch

MHS Blue and Gold

This season, the Malden High Girls’ Volleyball Team is once again headed to the MIAA Division 1 State Tournament, for a fourth consecutive season under Head Coach Dan Jurkowski.

A necessary part of a team is having skilled captains who can bring out the best in their players and lead everyone to victory. Golden Tornado Senior Co-Captain Jeslyn San began her volleyball career way back in the sixth grade, just shy of when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Unfortunately, her participation came to a halt around seventh and eighth grades due to the pandemic. She claims that her love for volleyball began to truly be fostered during freshman year when the high school gave her a “real opportunity” to start playing.

San plays one of the most well-known and difficult positions in volleyball: “libero.” Libero is a defensive specialist in volleyball who plays in the back row. “I’ve always wanted to be libero, as I was the JV libero during my sophomore year,” said San. “I started working for this position in 9th grade.”

The libero of the team is essentially the backbone of the team: They tend to receive the most serves in games to maximize their offense and make some of the best passes.

“From day one in volleyball, she was always the person who was willing to dive all over the floor and do whatever the team asks,” Coach Jurkowski said. “Each year, she’s progressed more and more until senior year, and she’s libero now.”

Being one of the most reliable players on the team reflects San’s ability to lead as a captain and demonstrates her experience and reliability within the sport. Her bond with her teammates is as strong as cement. Her long journey in Malden and with her team has brought the Girls’ Volleyball Team many successes this season, with her positive attitude seen by her teammates.

“She [San] communicates with the team both on and off the court by being there for anyone whenever they need it. If someone is having a bad day she will be one of the most likely people to figure out why and handle it,” her senior Co-Captain Abigail Lee said. “She [San] motivates people off the court if we have a rough game to keep going, and if we win she’s one of the people who cheer the loudest.”

San is well regarded as a great leader who can communicate about issues among her team and someone who is able to make her teammates perform as the best versions of themselves. “[San] is a very motivating person whenever we have our huddles before the games and in between time-outs,” Co-Captain Lovely Anne Gerochi said. “Jeslyn always helps everyone at practices and gives constructive criticism so we can all be our best selves on and off the court.”

“Her leadership has shown as the years went on. Our first year on varsity, we were both in the same boat and her skills have only strengthened on and off the court when it comes to her as a player and as a leader,” Gerochi added.

The three captains have all shared a bond since the summer before their freshman year, and their friendship and trust in each other has grown. Over the years, captains Gerochi and Lee said, they have both watched and noticed San’s growth as a person and as a player.

“The girls, they see her play so hard and give everything that she has, that it’s infectious. The girls follow her lead,” Coach Jurkowski said of San.

“It’s been awesome to watch because [San’s] a great person, too. So when you combine those two things together, you get an amazing player,” Coach Jurkowski added. “She’s been an amazing captain and has had an amazing senior year.”