After getting his start in volleyball as a fifth grader on his elementary school team, it didn’t take long for Nolan Faley to take a liking to the sport.
“It’s so instantaneous. You’ve got to be ready for everything,” says Faley of volleyball. “You can’t really prepare for one single situation, so that’s what makes it fun. It’s really magnetic. It pulls you back each week, and you just want to keep playing.”
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The Servite High School senior is a returning varsity starter this year and plays the position of libero for the Friars, allowing him to be in a key role during the entire match.
“I love it because I’m a part of pretty much every play,” says Faley. “I just love bringing my energy…to the team when we’re in tight situations.”
As a senior, Faley is also in a leadership role, using his experience to help guide his younger teammates.
“Senior leadership is everything to me,” says the 18-year-old. “It’s our job to really set the tone. As a younger classman looking up to the seniors previously, I learned a lot about them and what they do. So now it’s my turn to leave my legacy.”
And it’s a role Servite varsity volleyball head coach, Matt Marrujo, feels Faley is prepared to take on.
“Nolan plays the game with a lot of energy and enthusiasm,” says Marrujo. “His teammates feed off the energy that he brings into every practice and match. As one of our seniors, we will be counting on Nolan to step into a leadership role for our team this season.”
Coming from a long line of family members who have attended Servite, representing his high school as a student athlete has been a “dream come true” for Faley, and he’d love to end his career as a Friar with a Trinity League Championship.
Away from the court, Faley is involved in a family project that is close to his heart, the Cal State Fullerton Special Games, Kathleen E. & Jack Faley Memorial, an annual non-competitive sporting event held for athletes with developmental disabilities.
The largest influence in Faley’s life has no doubt been his “big Irish Catholic Faley family,” as the Placentia resident feels each family member has been instrumental in the shaping of the young man he’s become.
Faley plans to study business marketing in college and hopes to continue playing volleyball at the club or intramural level. Both the sport and his faith have been significant in preparing him for his next steps.
“Everything I do, Christ is at the center,” says Faley. “All those opportunities that I have to pray and to get closer in my faith, those carry on the court. That’s the faith that I practice and that’s the faith that I bring onto the court. It really helps me.”