LaPorta becomes mainstay for William Jewell Volleyball thanks to strong sophomore season
Bella LaPorta has always been one to stand out when it comes to volleyball. LaPorta, a 2021 Highland High School graduate, excelled as an outside hitter for four years at HHS.
Coming off a superb sophomore season, the 6-foot junior-to-be outside hitter has developed into a mainstay on the floor for the William Jewell College Cardinals in Liberty, Missouri.
LaPorta transformed from a role player as a freshman to a key piece on the Cardinals roster, starting all 28 matches as a sophomore in 2022 while ranking third overall in NCAA Division in kills with 380.
It was a season that left LaPorta feeling very upbeat about herself and the direction of her career at Jewell.
“It went really well. I started off pretty hot and I really tried to keep that going throughout the season, so I thought it went pretty well ... there were some games that didn’t go our way, but, overall, I think we’re (as a team) trending upward so that’s a good sign,” LaPorta said.
LaPorta, whose older brother Sam LaPorta is a rookie tight end with the NFL Detroit Lions, also was a dominant force for the Cardinals in serving, digs, and blocks last fall.
She was second on the team in service aces, racking up 26 with a career high four in two different matches while also averaging 15 double-doubles with an average of 3.49 digs per set. In addition, LaPorta was third on the team in total blocks with 62 with an average of 0.57 per set.
After playing in limited action as a freshman, LaPorta credits getting more action as a sophomore with allowing her overall game to improve and thrive.
“I think just being able to be on the court the whole time and being able to fix what I need if I come off the front row and I get to go to the back row ... I get a mental reset,” LaPorta said. “And then just being on the court and being around my teammates, that helps me as well and that’s what allowed me to have so many double-doubles — just being on the court the whole time with my teammates and talking with them through it.”
In the Cardinals first five matches, LaPorta averaged 16 or more kills per match and she credited the strong start with her being able to be more productive on the front line.
“I think it just gave me a lot of confidence that my spring (work) went really well and that carried into my fall, so I think it honestly just gave me a lot of confidence to be able to be like ‘I can finally do this,’” LaPorta said. “My freshman year I was a little shaky, so I think my sophomore year I definitely stepped it up.”
In the classroom
LaPorta said the biggest adjustment she had to make from freshman to sophomore season was the speed of matches on the Division II level.
“I think it was just getting used to the new game and the speed of the game and building my confidence as well as building my physical and my mental confidence as well, so I think that’s a big part of it too,” LaPorta said.
In the classroom, LaPorta is also excelling as she sports a 3.7 grade point average in business administration and made the Dean’s List last year.
William Jewell has struggled a bit on the court in LaPorta’s first two seasons as the Cardinals went 8-12 during her freshman season and then finished 13-15 last year.
Fast forward to 2023 season
LaPorta, as a leader on the club in her upcoming junior season, would like to see things turn for the better this fall.
“We just had a few games that went the other way and we definitely could have turned it around, so I think the spring and summer we’ve really just been working on our team chemistry. We’ve always had good team chemistry, but just building that further and just working on our leadership and being able to keep each other accountable is always really important as well as working on our skill level,” LaPorta said.
William Jewell opens its season Aug. 31 at home with a match against Kentucky Wesleyan.
