MESA — A homeschooled student and Mountain View High School athlete has committed to Grand Canyon University. Her leadership on and off the court proves why she deserves to play at the collegiate level.

The road to becoming a collegiate athlete started early for homeschooled senior and libero Alayna Austin, who knew since seventh grade she wanted to play at the college level.

To get to her dream of playing in an arena, she first had to excel at the varsity level.

Although Austin has been homeschooled her entire life, she has played for the Mountain View Toro’s volleyball team for the past four years, where her teammates and head coach consider her a leader.

“She understands how to communicate with other people her age, and I think that's just been a benefit for me because there’s moments where I'm thinking of something or about to say something, and I turn around and look, and she's kind of already doing it,” head coach Lee Golden said.

Whether it's shouting calls during matches or teaching other girls how to improve their technique, Austin is a student-athlete who takes initiative to help improve the overall team.

Austin started her high school volleyball career as a freshman on varsity, and like many others in that situation, she was very nervous.

“I was a freshman on varsity, and I was playing a position that I didn’t normally play,” Austin said. “So I was super nervous, but all the girls around me were so supportive and just wanted me to ball out, and that is exactly what I did."

Although she didn't know it then, she would soon help mentor her future team the same way her first-year teammates helped her reach her true potential.

Junior Macie Bradshaw was described by Golden as a young leader who is following in Austin's footsteps to fulfill that leadership role.

#3 Alayna Austin (wearing blue) playing alongside #2 Macie Bradshaw (in red). This picture was taken after Mountain View scored a point.Bradshaw feels as though Austin helps her bring out the best version of herself.

“She brings a lot of confidence towards me,” Bradshaw said. “She helps me throughout when I'm having a hard time, and I think I've improved a lot this year by just having a good teammate like Alayna.”

Knowing how much Austin adds to this team, Golden made it clear even though she is not enrolled as a student, she is exactly the type of athlete Mountain View is looking for.

“When we call ourselves the campus of champions, that's the kind of kid that we're talking about — a kid that can advocate for themselves respectfully and stand up for themselves when they need to,” Golden said. “A kid that goes about things the best way that they can, and that's going to give you all of their effort and all of their energy; they're going to fully commit and embody everything that word means.”

The "champion" label Golden described Austin with is not thrown loosely.

Austin has a great work ethic that proves why she will continue her volleyball career at a Division I university.

“Imagine a young adult that knows what they want and goes about it the right way,” Golden said. “She stays late when she can, she communicates any questions she has in a respectful way and time.”

Though in the next couple of months she will be preparing for her college career, she makes note how deeply impacting the Toro’s volleyball program was to her.

“It’s been such a huge part of my life for the last four years,” Austin said. “The relationships that you get out of it, just are something truly special, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.”