Editor’s note: This is the fifth and final story in a series about the most underrated Arizona Wildcats athletes.
As the daughter of a former professional player, Natalie Anselmo lived the beach volleyball life from a young age.
Yet it wasn’t until she came to Arizona that Anselmo learned the discipline needed to take her game to the next level.
“It became so much more of something that was important to me and that I valued it — not just something that I happen to be good at that I practice,” Anselmo said. “It really makes you feel like, OK, I can put my 100% into this and be so much better than I was before.”
Anselmo, a senior defender, stands at 5 feet 6 inches — on the short side for a beach volleyball player. She said her height was an obstacle in club ball but is less of an issue now. Being tall is an advantage, Anselmo says, but being shorter isn’t necessarily a hindrance. Her high volleyball IQ comes in part from her father John, a former UCLA star who played professionally. John Anselmo founded West Club Volleyball in 2010, and also coaches indoor volleyball at West Los Angeles College.
“Once I got to college, it’s pretty much just like, whoever wins wins. It doesn’t matter how tall you are,” Natalie Anselmo said. “I think (UA coach) Steve (Walker), out of any coach that coaches beach volleyball, cares the least amount about how tall you are, which made me feel like ‘OK, if I can win, I can win. It doesn’t matter how tall I am or who I’m playing with or anything like that.’ ”
Why she’s good: Anselmo wins. As a freshman, she went 4-0 in the Pac-12 Championships. She followed that up with a 20-12 record with teammate Olivia Macdonald, cracking the UA’s all-time lists in winning percentage (.625 for 12th place) and wins (10th as a pair, 19th individually).
As a junior, Anselmo and partner Madison Rigdon were the only pair in the nation to go undefeated at 17-0 in Flight 3.
In Anselmo’s senior year, which was shortened because of the coronavirus, she started 7-0 and finished 10-2. She plans to return next season thanks to an NCAA waiver that permits seniors another year of eligibility due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Natalie Anselmo plans to return to the UA next year thanks to an NCAA waiver that gives seniors whose seasons were canceled due to the coronavirus an extra year of eligibility.
Why she’s underrated: At 5-6, Anselmo gets overlooked. Most top beach volleyball players are taller.
“The old adage is bigger is better. In my professional opinion, it doesn’t apply to Natalie given everything she brings to the table,” Walker said.
Walker said he first noticed Anselmo at a recruiting event.
“I loved how tough she was, how dynamic she was against bigger athletes and she won me over,” she said. “Given she’s 5-6 and given the things she can do, I wanted her to be part of my program.”
Coachspeak: “She’s feisty, very gritty and ultra, ultra competitive. Since the program started, she is easily in the top two or three athletes in her work ethic on a day-to-day basis. You know what you get in practice and this goes a long way for coaches. She is selfless and the only things that matter to her are showing up, working hard and putting her teammates in position to win.”
— Walker
She said it: “I think probably my own competitiveness drives a lot of my success. It doesn’t really matter what setting I’m playing in or who I’m playing with or what’s going on that day — I always want to do my best, because it makes me feel good. And seeing myself improve makes me want to improve even more. I think that holds me accountable on its own.
“But when I think about it, it wasn’t always like that. I think being at a school that is held in such a high regard, having people that come and support us every day and want us to do good — it makes me feel like I’m not going to just show up and not do anything today because all these people, they care about you.
“You want to do well for them, and they want you to do well. It’s a good feeling to show up and have people be proud of you, too.” – Anselmo
