The volleyball season for the Wagoner Bulldogs is now history and with it the career of senior Rosalia Valdelamar who went out as a team player moving to a new position to help the team.

“I moved her to the libero position this year and even though she didn’t have any experience there she adapted and excelled for us,” said coach Jayce Stimson. “She has excelled in her leadership and does about anything that I ask of her.”

Rosalia’s road to volleyball didn’t really start until she reached middle school.

“In the seventh grade a friend kind of talked me into trying volleyball and I thought ‘Yes I think I will.’ And so I went to a practice and found out I liked it and I’ve been playing ever since including club volleyball in Muskogee.”

During her time as a Bulldog, Rosalia has played different positions including last year when she was an outside hitter.

“You know I’m only 5-2 so being an outside hitter was tough so when the opportunity to go to libero came up, I thought it might be a better fit. But there’s a big difference going from the front row to the back row, so I got a lot of advice from Abby Humphries who played that spot last year and that helped a lot,” said Rosalia who is also in the National Honor Society, is a trainer for the baseball team and an aide for a kindergarten class.

Her coach praised her leadership abilities and Rosalia talked about her leadership philosophy.

“I like to build the team up and encourage them to do the right thing and focus on the present and forget about errors that were made in the past. I talk about staying focused on what you want while helping and guiding the younger players.”

After she graduates next spring, Rosalia plans to become a dental hygienist and says she would like to be remembered as a good friend on and off the court who helped people a lot and was a good leader.