Niles junior Kelsey Barton doesn’t shy away from the pressure.

That is a good thing for Vikings volleyball coach Jenny Nate because Barton is the team’s setter.

“Kelsey is an outstanding, versatile player and brings a lot of experience to our team,” Nate said.“She is able to set, run the offense, hit, play defense and see the court. She is a physically strong player. She started for me as a freshman as my right side hitter and then she took over her sophomore and junior years as our setter.

“So, because she has played other positions, she has the ability to understand the hitter’s position just as well as her own. She has played on national-level teams for club and was the high-performance setter in the area for the past two years. So she has experience playing with various teams and players. Driven and focused are two words that describe her. She brings both of those characteristics to the court and the classroom and is at the top of her class. The area I have seen her grow the most in the past year is in her defense. She is picking up digs and tips better than ever. Her off season work is really showing.”

Being an upperclassman and a three-year starter, Barton feels she is one of the team’s leader.

“I need to keep the team up whether we are winning or losing,” she said. “I want to make sure we are having a good time and being positive. If we don’t have fun, what is the point of playing?”

Nate understands the pressure that falls on the shoulder of her setter. She also knows that is not a problem for Barton.

“A setter’s job is a tough one and Kelsey strives for perfection in herself and others,” Nate said. “She has to know how to motivate the other players individually and help build their confidence. Often times, even though she quietly leads in assists, kills often get more attention, and it’s important to recognize that their ability to get those stats comes from her sets as well as the passes from our defense. There are also times a setter like Kelsey knows that as the quarterback of the team, she has to set the tempo for the match and help keep the team up no matter what the score is.

“She plays a high pressure position. Not only does she have to find a way to balance the team consistently during matches, she also has to hear me constantly in her ear because I know how important her leadership is and what great potential she has. She puts a lot of pressure on herself, and her work ethic and self-motivation is why her game and classroom work are top notch.”

“It does not really affect me,” Barton said of the pressure. “I love playing the position and I like the pressure of the position. It is a fun for me.”

Barton said her person goals and team goals are similar.

I want to keep improving my game and keep the team ‘up’ at all times,” she said. “Our team goals are to keep pushing to get better and playing together. We had a lot of new faces on the team this year. We have come a long way as far as getting along and becoming closer as a team.”