Jenna Mazel is a student at ASU Cronkite School of Journalism assigned to cover Arcadia High School for AZPreps365.com

Arcadia High School volleyball star Lauren Sayre is defined by two words:

Student. Athlete.

Sayre, who is the captain of Arcadia’s varsity volleyball team, started her journey on the soccer field. After dedicating more than eight years to the pitch, she realized that she was ready for a change, and in 2015 she took her talents to the court.  

Sayre’s natural athleticism made the transition from soccer to volleyball easy. 

Three years later, Sayre is playing in her third varsity season for the Titans and has committed to the University of Utah to play beach volleyball at the Division I level. 

“I felt like volleyball suited my strengths better than soccer,” Sayre said. “There’s more than 25 points and getting to start over every point was awesome opposed to one mistake playing defense in soccer which resulted in a goal.” 

During a soccer game at the end of her freshman year, Sayre suffered a concussion. After the traumatic experience, she felt it was the right time to take a step away from the soccer field and take her talents to the volleyball court. 

“It is not her natural athleticism that makes her good at volleyball,” Arcadia volleyball coach Jackie Bunker said. “Just like in all high level sports, it takes lots of hard work, repetition, training and the right mindset.”  

At the beginning of sophomore year, Sayre decided to try out for volleyball both on the hardwood and on the sand.

“I fell in love with beach volleyball,” Sayre said. “With only two players on each side and getting to showcase every skill, it was the perfect fit.”  

Sayre is very consistent with her skills in both indoor and beach volleyball. “Her strengths are serving, defensive range, and a variety of offensive shots,” said Bunker. “Since Lauren is a blocker in Beach, she is also a skilled blocker, even in one on one situations.”

Sayre has played 163 varsity sets during her career at Arcadia and has totaled 95 kills and 50 blocks. 

Earlier this year, Sayre’s decision to commit to the University of Utah beach volleyball team was not made lightly. 

“Committing to a college was a difficult process,” Sayre said. “I set up calls with tons of coaches in so many different places around the country and different divisions trying to find my place.”

Sayre went into every interview with a page full of notes and a list of prepared questions for the coaches.

Committing to play in college gave Sayre a boost of confidence. “I was never the best on the court and always felt like the new girl,” Sayre said. 

Sayre does not just lead by example on the court. She is known by coaches and teammates for her positive attitude and inclusivity. 

“As a teammate, Lauren wears lots of hats,” Bunker said. “Lauren can joke around and have fun with the team, but she also knows how to turn it off and refocus when necessary. Lauren can lead quietly by example, or she can step up and encourage the team.”

Sayre credits her bubbly personality to switching indoor club teams every year during high school. 

“Being the new kid on every team every year was so hard,” Sayre said. “Now I try to greet every new player I see and at least warm up with them for the first practice because I know the feeling.”

As captain, Sayre leads her team by example. 

“Lauren always includes everyone in a conversation, relates to everyone’s problems and situations, and helps others to step out of their comfort zone,” Sayre’s Arcadia teammate, Grace Koss, said.

Sayre’s achievements as an athlete are just as impressive when compared to her achievements as a student. 

“School has always been top priority for me,” Sayre said. “Even over volleyball at times.”

Sayre has a 4.8 GPA and has been on Arcadia’s “All Academic First Team” for the past three years. 

“I’ve always been a straight A student despite absolutely no pressure from anyone but myself,” Sayre said. “I am always my biggest critic and struggle to be my biggest fan.” 

Sayre said she sometimes struggles to balance school and volleyball because she is a procrastinator. She brings homework to every game and tries to squeeze it in whenever she has a break. 

“Sometimes it just means some late nights or early mornings for me,” Sayre said. “I’ve learned over time it’s important to have balance. There’s nights where I just need to sleep and turn in my homework late or take some time to watch my favorite show.”

Sayre struggles with anxiety and has found making crafts in her free time helps to ease her stress. She likes to make anything from bracelets to embroidered shirts, knitting, painting, sketching and collages. 

Sayre’s biggest inspiration is her younger sister who was diagnosed with brain cancer during Lauren’s freshman year of high school. 

“My sister is my inspiration because she was able to battle through cancer and is healthy now,” Sayre said. “She is doing amazing and even has beautiful hair growing back.”

Witnessing her sister’s strength has allowed Sayre to “step back and realize what is really important in life.” 

She hopes to inspire other student athletes by showing them it is possible to balance academics and sports.