Aubrey Trujillo's steady defense bolsters Central volleyball
Sep. 22—CHEYENNE — Aubrey Trujillo once dreamt of playing outside hitter.
The Cheyenne Central senior pictured herself pounding volleyballs down the line for kills. Eventually, Trujillo came to terms with the fact that was unlikely.
"I realized that wasn't in the books for me with my height," she said with a laugh after the Lady Indians swept visiting Cheyenne South on Sept. 14.
Instead, Trujillo has channeled her passion for volleyball to a different position. She is now one of the top liberos in Class 4A. Trujillo is posting 3.9 digs per set from that defensive specialist position, which ranks sixth in the state's largest classification.
"She is consistent, keeps a level head and just does things the right way," Central coach Jessica Bratton-Vega said. "She gets low, and she reads the ball well. She never gets too high or too low emotionally, and that really helps.
"... She's one of our quiet leaders. The girls know she's doing to be there, and they don't have to question that."
Trujillo is in her second season as the Indians' starting libero. She has posted 128 digs to help Central post a 6-9 record heading into this weekend's Casper Invitational.
Trujillo didn't have to look far for inspiration when it came to playing her position. Her older sister, Alexis, was a three-year starter for the Indians before graduating in 2018.
"She loved playing that position, and I loved watching her," Trujillo said. "She's a big role model for me. We still take any chance we get to go pepper, hit balls at each other and dig them. She taught me so much."
Trujillo also describes her offseason work with former Central standout Davaney (Workman) Semler as crucial to her success the past two seasons.
"I've done a lot of stuff to try to get better at this position specifically, and I've spent a lot of time working with (Semler)," Trujillo said. "I work with her any chance I get, and I love it."
Liberos are often their team's best defensive player. They're not only good at keeping points alive by getting to hard-hit balls and well-placed serves, they excel at giving their team offensive options off their digs.
Playing the position often requires players to sacrifice their body by diving all over the court. Trujillo enjoys that part of her role, but one aspect of her play that stands out is that she rarely dives.
"You can look really good diving on the floor, but are you doing it because you had to or because you didn't read something well enough to put yourself in a good position?" Bratton-Vega said. "(Trujillo) gets there and makes plays. She's not flashy, but she's fun to watch."
On the court
Central will be joined in Casper by Cheyenne East and Cheyenne South. The tournament starts today and runs through Saturday.
Burns — which is the No. 5-ranked team in this week's WyoPreps Class 2A coaches and media poll — plays at Lingle-Fort Laramie tonight. The Broncs host Torrington at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Pine Bluffs plays at the Mitchell (Nebraska) Invite on Saturday.
The state tennis tournament was slated to start Thursday, but was postponed until Monday due to the threat of inclement weather in Gillette.
On the course
The Central and East cross-country teams compete at the Dave Sanders Invitational today in Littleton, Colorado.
The South and Pine Bluffs-Burns squads run at the Shana Ward Memorial in Saratoga on Friday.
In the pool
Central and East's girls swimming and diving teams square off with Campbell County and Thunder Basin today in Gillette. East swims at the Sheridan Invite on Saturday, while Central competes at the Gillette Invite.
Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on X at @jjohnke.
