By Christine Jinbo

Taylor Fauntleroy, chosen as one of two players for the ESPN RISE Volleyball Spotlight Player of the Week, attends Santa Barbara (Calif.) High School.  The Dons are currently ranked No. 5 on the ESPN RISE FAB 50.

The NYU commit recorded 242 kills, 59 digs, and 38 blocks in the past two years as a varsity starter.  Over the last five years the Dons achieved a perfect 39-0 record in the Channel League.  His overall outstanding play, his leadership and ability to make everyone around him better helped the Dons en route to their perfect mark and made Fauntleroy a perfect fit for this honor.

Santa Barbara Head Coach Chad Arneson will miss Fauntleroy on his team.

"He is a true competitor; he brings out the best in everyone."

If not for an accident, the Dons' captain might not have learned to play the sport.  He began to play, one summer, because of broken ribs. 

"I was going to play football, but I went on vacation and broke my ribs so I decided not to," said Fauntleroy.

"My mom really wanted me to try volleyball."  He continued, "I have played a lot of sports and it was just the next one. I tried and it stuck."

Fauntleroy's mother and two brothers provide him with constant inspiration and in turn, his loyalty to his family and his recognition of his mother's sacrifices are inspiration to all.

"My little brothers, Tristan and Philip, both are big inspirations to me because they look up to me so much and they inspire me to try my hardest and play my best, but still have fun."

"My mom is also a huge inspiration because she has made so many sacrifices for me, and so whenever things are hard I just think of all the things she's had to do to get me to where I am today."

He continued, "Every time I want to stop or I'm tired or lazy I just think about her working and stuff so I can do the things I do and it makes me not take things for granted. This inspires me."

Although that kind of motivation is difficult to top, the self-described, "die hard Lakers fan" also draws inspiration from the NBA.

"Kobe Bryant is another inspiration ... because he is the most focused and prepared player in basketball and he is a great example of what preparation and hard work can do."

Fauntleroy decided to play basketball his senior season for the Dons.  He enjoyed the camaraderie and described his time with the team as, "super chill".

"I have a lot of good friends on the team so we had a really good time. It was really nice cause I was with all my boys."

"Because I'm primarily a volleyball player, the expectations weren't as high so I was able to just have fun and play with better guys."

When pressed to choose basketball or volleyball, Fauntleroy could not easily commit to one answer.  He pragmatically talked about what each one meant to him personally.

"That is hard to say," he paused. "I have been a huge basketball fan for as long as I can remember and it's definitely my favorite sport."

"With that said, I definitely love volleyball and with all the time and energy I put into volleyball it's really hard to say it's not my passion, so I'm going to have to say volleyball," Fauntleroy slowly admitted.
 
The hard working 6-foot-4 outside hitter, participated with Palisades Volleyball Club in 2008 and his team earned Gold in the 17 Open Division of the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions awarded him an All Tournament selection in 2008 and 2009 and the Channel League selected him for all league honors. 

Volleyball gave Fauntleroy an avenue to pursue another of his passions, film making.  A finalist in the 10-10-10 Film Festival, he participated in the MAD (Multimedia Art and Design) Academy at Santa Barbara High School, which does graphic design and movie making.

With a 4.5 GPA, Fauntleroy had his pick of colleges, and originally looked into NYU because of their outstanding film program.

"I have been interested in (working with film) for a while now."

"As I looked into it more, I just started to realize that going to New York could be a great experience and the coaches did a lot for me to allow me to go there so I couldn't really pass it up."

Fauntleroy summed up the opportunity nicely, "I get to play volleyball and study at a great school; it doesn't get much better than that."

Fauntleroy's work ethic, drive and team spirit left a strong impression with coach Arneson.

"His leadership is contagious, when I look back on my coaching career, I guarantee that Taylor Fauntleroy will be one of those players who I will never forget."

Get to know Taylor Fauntleroy

Full Name: Taylor Fauntleroy
School: Santa Barbara High School 
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.  
Position: Outside Hitter    
Height: 6'4" 
Grad Yr: 2009 
Committed: NYU
Club Team: Pali (2008), Santa Barbara (2009)

Q&A with Fauntleroy:
What are you looking forward to about college?
I'm just looking forward to new experiences and being in a city. It's going to be weird at first because it's so different from Santa Barbara but I think it will be pretty cool. I'm also looking forward to playing volleyball at a higher level and just having a good time.

What do you look forward to about playing for NYU?
I'm looking forward to playing with the team and coaches because it seems like a really cool group of guys and I think I can learn a lot. I also know I will have fun playing so that's always a thing to look forward to.

 
If you weren't playing volleyball, what would you want to be doing?
I would probably be playing a lot more basketball, and working on movies. Maybe still racing bikes. It's really hard to say cause volleyball has been such a huge part of my life for so long, but I would definitely be doing some other sport… or maybe even competitive eating… who knows…
 

Fauntleroy's Top Threes:

Songs to warm up to:
1. Cannon (AMG remix) – Lil' Wayne
2. Flipside – Freeway
3. 3 Peat – Lil' Wayne

TV shows:   
1. Sportscenter
2. Eastbound and Down
3. Entourage

Movies:   
1. Anchorman
2. Knocked Up
3. Batman: The Dark Knight

Websites:
1. Kix-files.com
2. espnrise.com
3. nba.com
 
ESPN RISE Volleyball started the sentence and Fauntleroy completed it:     
I play best when... It's a big game or the game is on the line.
If I were coaching Taylor Fauntleroy... I would be supportive and critique his game. 
The best thing about volleyball is... The great competition and all the people you get to meet.  
Something most people don't know about me is... I raced downhill bikes on the national circuit for several years and I have over 15 pairs of rare Nike shoes.
The topical issue that most interests me in the world is... the Los Angeles Lakers.
If I could have one superhuman power it would be... I just talked about this the other day…. Flying… Dane Cook is just too wise.
 
We make Fauntleroy Choose:

Hitting or Blocking - hitting
American Idol or Survivor (or other reality show) - Real World Road Rules challenges
Beach or Indoor Volleyball – Indoor  
Skateboarding or Snowboarding or Surfing- Snowboarding
WWE or MMA - MMA 
Texting or Talking - Sadly, Texting
Movies or Video Games –  Movies
Facebook or MySpace –  Facebook