Anaya Wright had personal goals walking into the Rampart volleyball tryouts three years ago, and one of those was to be a six-rotation player. 

Rams coach Brianne Perkett encouraged that goal, and Wright took on that role for the Rams with pride.

“She took pride in working on being that type of player, and she has been from that moment on,” said Tyrone Wright, Anaya’s father. “When she sets her mind to it, she’s going to own it and work towards it.”

A reason why the junior wanted to be the team’s utility player was the opportunity to be a good teammate, and she displayed that commitment in her junior year. Wright put up 365 kills (No. 25 in the state) and led the team in kills per set (3.6) and aces (40) to help Rampart to a 25-4 record and a third-round playoff appearance in the fall. 

Wright was also the CMSL Player of the Year and earned 5A first-team all-state recognition. Still, it’s not the stats or recognition that the Gazette Preps Peak Performer of the Year is after. 

“If she ran a ball down and got a save, she would remember that play more than the number of kills,” Tyrone said. “She is a dynamic athlete and can hit the ball hard, but her biggest strength is the fact that she really cares about people and wants to do what it takes to be a good teammate.” 

A humble Wright attributes her success to the support of her coaches and teammates. 

“This year, our team was special mentally and physically,” Wright said. “We worked really hard to get to state and gave it our best. We really wanted to win, which drove us. Every day, I had no doubt they supported me.”

“She carries a heavy load when we are in a tight situation,” Perkett said of Wright. “We give her the ball, which can be burdening, but she accepts the role with grace and knows she will help the team get the next point.” 

Wright not only serves as a go-to player but also brings high energy and personality to the court. 

“Anaya is the kind of athlete you want on the floor,” Perkett said. ”She has a serious innate drive that just helps her to compete, which in turn has the entire team following her. She is a reliable, consistent force on the floor that brings everyone along.”

Rampart set goals at the start of the season, including winning league and regional titles, both of which it accomplished. Wright owned these goals and set out to find ways to grow and help her team. One of those ways was to strengthen her playing IQ.  

“She loves giving to her team in that way,” Tyrone said. “She is willing to do what it takes for that team to be successful, and she enjoys serving that team in that way.”

With the help of Perkett, Wright made tremendous strides in her playing IQ, which was evident on the court. 

“She broke things down for me and helped me see things differently,” Wright said of Perkett. 

“When she came as a freshman, she was super-athletic, really explosive,” Perkett said. “Over the last three years, she has worked to develop her IQ and finesse on the court to be a smarter player — worked hard to develop her strategic capabilities. You can see how athletically gifted she is. It’s been fun to watch her grow.”

Wright found volleyball through her older sister, Jayda, who also played volleyball at Rampart. Wright would watch her sister’s tournaments and thought the sport looked fun. After trying it out at the YMCA and figuring out she was good at it, Wright found it was a perfect match. 

“I feel like I can talk about volleyball all day,” Wright said. “It brings me calmness and peace. It’s where I can take out my competitiveness and be free and be myself and just be Anaya Wright.”

Since then, Wright’s love of the sport extends well beyond the high school season. The outside hitter plays year-round volleyball as a member of the Colorado Juniors club team and hopes to continue her career in college. 

In fact, after a match against Doherty as a sophomore, Colorado Juniors alumna and Olympian Haleigh Washington told Wright she could go anywhere she wanted. 

“It was an encouraging moment for her,” Tyrone said. 

Wright still has one more year at Rampart, and Perkett looks forward to seeing where the junior’s drive to win will take her and the team. 

“Discipline, dependability and drive are our core values, and she completely exhibits those three qualities,” Perkett said. “She’s in the gym every day, and doesn’t hold anyone else to a standard she doesn’t hold herself to. She does everything she needs to do outside of the gym. She is that competitive athlete who will do whatever it takes for her team.”