Talent can bring an athlete accolades and attention, but the ability to lead will bring the kind of success that extends beyond the court.
This year's Deseret News Most Valuable Players in volleyball may have played different positions, held different roles and had different personalities, but these five student athletes share the ability to lead by example which translated into success for them as individuals and their respective teams.
5A MVP
Danica Mendivil, Pleasant Grove
With a senior-laden team, the Pleasant Grove volleyball team didn't need a lot of leadership. But this senior and three-year starter provided the kind of example all coaches want by working as hard as she could.
"She was such a strong leader," said Vikings head coach Jamie Schapper. "She was the first one in the gym, the last one to leave. She made sure they were all in the gym. She took care of her teammates."
Mendivil started as a freshman and then missed her sophomore year due to an injury. She helped the Vikings to a second-place finish last year and a 5A state title this season.
The future Arizona State volleyball player finished the year with 303 digs, 367 kills and 13 solo blocks.
"She's such a strong player," said Schapper. "Her strength was her hitting and just moving across the court. She's just an overall dynamic player on the court, both physically and mentally."
Schapper said Mendivil experienced "huge growth" between her junior and senior year in terms of her ability to rally her teammates.
"She also understood her role as a go-to player," he said. "She was an amazing player from the beginning but she really took control this year."
In addition to her top-notch skill and leadership abilities, Mendivil is a well-rounded human being.
"She's a fun person to be around," said Schapper. "Especially one-on-one. It's really fun to be around her."
4A MVP
Ciara Parker,Snow Canyon
Ciara Parker knows all about pressure. She led the Snow Canyon volleyball team to a state title as a freshman setter and then was faced with the daunting task of doing it again this season.
"There was a lot of pressure coming in," said Warriors head coach and her mom, Alaina Parker. There was talk of a fourth-straight title for the Warriors and questions about whether or not she would suffer "a sophomore jinx."
No one, however, had higher expectations of Ciara than the sophomore held for herself.
"She was a very motivated player this year," the coach said. "She really raised the bar this year."
Ciara didn't just improve her own skills, she developed the ability to raise the play of those around her.
"I saw her really mature," said Parker. "Sometimes she can be very intense. She has learned to refine her leadership skills."
Hard working and driven, Ciara Parker is also very tender-hearted. She hopes to major in nursing, in part because of her younger brother Camden, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder.
"He doesn't walk or talk, but he doesn't miss a volleyball match," Alaina said. "She is just very sweet with him."
She finished the season with 843 assists, 117 kills, 126 aces, 328 digs and 26 blocks.
3A MVP
Ashley Garfield, Morgan
Morgan coach Liz Wiscombe doesn't have to do anything other than open the doors to the gymnasium if she wants to get Ashley Garfield fired up about playing volleyball.
"She comes to practice ready to compete," said Wiscombe. "She doesn't not like to lose...She's one that's so much fun to coach because she's always intense. She's a great one to go into a competition with."
Garfield earned 402 kills, 115 solo blocks, 81 block assists, 125 digs this season.
She led the team's defense this year as a middle blocker, but she is so versatile and athletic, she was one of the team's setters last year.
"She's grown so we moved her to middle," said Wiscombe. "She can pass and hit, swing middle or right side, and she passed middle. She can do it all."
It wasn't just Garfield's athletic skill that allowed her to lead the Trojans to a second-place finish in the 3A state tournament and another region title.
"She's a positive leader," Wiscombe said. "She makes everybody around her better. She is good to her team. She's a fighter on the court."
2A MVP
Jasmine Porter, Layton Christian
Layton Christian coach Joy Nakaishi knew Jasmine Porter could be something special on the volleyball court long before the senior realized this in herself.
"She was our go-to player," said Nakaishi. "But in the state championship we played more as a team. In our semifinal match, she just took that game upon herself. She showed that dominating play. That's the player I was hoping to develop."
Nakaishi began teaching Jasmine when she was in the fifth grade. A two-sport athlete, Porter signed a scholarship to play basketball for San Diego State University last month.
But the four-year starter worked hard to develop her volleyball skills, which helped the Eagles earn their first volleyball state championship in the 2A State Tournament.
Nakaishi said Porter learned to run the quick offense that required both agility and speed, which made her a force at the net as she stands 6-foot-2.
"She is quick and athletic," Nakaishi said.
But it isn't just volleyball skills that Porter has developed over the years.
"I have watched her mature," Nakaishi said. "She's learned a lot and matured a lot."
1A MVP
Kalani Norris, Panguitch
Troy and Anne Marie Norris didn't always see their doll-loving little girl as a fierce competitor.
"She was more of a girly girl," said Anne Marie Norris, who oversees a youth volleyball program in Panguitch. "We weren't sure she'd be very competitive until she participated in a Hoop Shoot in fourth grade."
That's when her parents noticed that not only did she have a significant amount of athletic skill, but the quiet, shy, sweet girl was actually a serious competitor.
"She is very, very competitive," said Anne Marie. "She is out there to win. And when the pressure is on, she does better."
Norris led the Bobcats to a 1A state title with 646 kills and a .374 hitting percentage. In addition to honing her volleyball skills, Norris stepped up as one of the team's leaders.
"She's just got more confidence this year," said Bobcats head coach Troy Norris, Kalani's father. "She has an aura about her."
Norris' leadership style is to support, befriend and uplift her teammates, all while working as hard as she can to carry her share of the offensive load.
"She's very mature and she's always been pretty laid back, pretty mellow," said Troy Norris.
Kalani is just as driven off the court as she maintains a 4.0 GPA. She is also a starter for the Bobcats' varsity basketball team and an accomplished piano player.
"She has always dealt with pressure," Troy Norris said. "But she is very grounded, and she's always been her biggest critic. I've never needed to say hardly anything to her because she always wants perfection from herself."