West Aurora’s Natalie Mitchell completely understands that she’s not the tallest player on the court at 5-foot-8, but she sure doesn’t play like it.
The junior outside hitter/right-side hitter realized that she had to develop an advantage, so from a young age, she got to work on her jumping ability.
“I have been working on my vertical forever,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been hitting my whole life, so I just try my hardest to get up there. Sometimes, people are like, ‘You just need to jump higher.’
“I’m like, ‘I’m going to hit the ball as hard as I can. I’m going to jump as high as I can.’”
When Mitchell gets into a rhythm, like she did in Thursday’s 15-25, 25-15, 25-15 nonconference win over Geneva, the results speak for themselves. She finished with a match-high 10 kills.
Sydney Wagner contributed seven kills and four aces for West Aurora (7-5). Ellie Dobbertin added six kills, while Janiyah Ricks had three kills and two blocks and Ella Maxwell served three aces.
Emma Peterson paced Geneva (3-8) with five kills and three aces. Zori Malone had three kills.
While Mitchell wants to hit the ball as hard as she can, she’s also learned to pick her spots. Instead of swinging her hardest, even when the set or the situation aren’t perfect, she’s learned when it’s the right time to unleash the power in her third varsity season.
“She’s been a lot smarter this year,” West Aurora coach Alyssa Farney said of Mitchell, who also had an ace Thursday. “She wanted that kill every time. This year, she’s really come into the role of being a really smart player, which is nice to see. That builds her confidence, too.
“Sometimes, she overthinks it. It’s like, ‘Nat, just relax. Put it away wherever you can find a hole.’”
Getting there mentally took hard work for Mitchell, though. Playing alongside Maureen Pokryfke, last year’s team leader in kills, plus being an underclassman on varsity put pressure on her.
“I did not have the same confidence that I have now,” Mitchell said. “It built up as everyone else had confidence in me. I learned to deal with it on my own. I had to learn how to move past it.
“I learned how to help myself.”
Maxwell, who is Mitchell’s setter, is a close friend and has seen the transformation firsthand this fall.
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“I think her sophomore year we had a big senior hitter and she wanted to fill her footsteps,” Maxwell said. “This year, she realized that she really has to step up. I think her having to step into that role was definitely a big point for her.
“Mentally last year was so hard for her. I think this year she’s made a ton of improvement, which I’m proud of her for.”
When Mitchell gets on a roll, the Blackhawks are playing at their best. Not only is she a big hitter, but she plays with an infectious emotion that gets her teammates and the crowd fired up as well.
“She’s definitely a no-doubter when she’s a no-doubter,” Farney said.
That was a big factor in the Blackhawks turning the corner in the second game Thursday.
After a series of errors fueled Geneva’s dominant win in the first game, the Vikings led 10-9 in the second game. But from that point, West Aurora went on a 41-20 run to completely turn the tide.
Mitchell produced seven of her kills in that stretch. It helps make Maxwell’s job easier.
“I know I have her as my go-to now,” Maxwell said. “I trust her so much to put the ball down, which is so nice. In a pickle, I could be by the end line and go to her and she’s going to find a spot.
“It’s really nice to have a confident hitter like that.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.