Pozzuto doesn’t shy away
from the traditions and
expectations that come
with playing volleyball at
West Seneca West. In fact,
the young man thrives
under the pressure - un-
der the spotlight.
“My time at WSW has
been amazing as I got to
play with high level play-
ers since I was starting
as a freshman, including
Cam Bartus (Penn State)
and Ian Barker (Charles-
ton), and got to learn from
them at a really young age
(14). A great memory I’ve
had was playing my fresh-
man year and the super
competitive
match-ups
we had every single night,
like the Clarence and Or-
chard Park games. I also
really enjoyed the playoff
game I had my sophomore
season
against
North
Tonawanda, because the
gym was packed with row-
dy fans and just a fantastic
competitive atmosphere,”
stated Pozzuto. “There
is a lot of great tradition
at West, and living up to
those traditions is always
in the back of your head.
The expectation is to be
a top team in the section
and put up a fight and I
think West volleyball has
been able to take that task
on. I do sometimes feel
the pressure to play on the
biggest stage, but I just
try to go out and play the
game that I love and hope
that the work that I put in
pays off, and I get my job
done with leadership, and
my position on the court.”
Playing on varsity since
freshman year, Pozzu-
to has grown into a solid
leader for this club. He
has been able to see how
other upperclassmen led
this team - and how they
went about going about
their business.
It’s one thing to be
named a leader. It’s an-
other to show what a lead-
er is all about. Pozzuto has
what it takes to be a solid
leader for this team and it
has shown.
“Leadership is a very
hard role to take on. But
making sure guys are
staying on task in prac-
tice and working their
hardest every day is a
big idea in my leadership
strategy. Also being very
vocal on the court and
helping your team focus
in is very important to
winning tough matches,”
stated Pozzuto. “I feel that
I have grown as a leader
in the sense that instead
of getting frustrated with
my team on the court be-
cause of a bad play, it is an
opportunity for me to step
in and help those players
out. Also, being a lead-
er off the court is just as
important as on. I try my
best to be a role model for
the younger guys that will
be future leaders of the
team.”
With his senior year
quickly coming to a close,
Pozzuto has been honing
his skills for the next lev-
el. One of the best play-
OCTOBER 19, 2018 | SportsUnion
ers in WNY, Pozzuto has
options when it comes to
playing at the next level.
Colleges from Division
I all the way down to Di-
vision III have been call-
ing for his services. The
young man is still mull-
ing over where the best fit
will be for him both ath-
letically and academically
- and isn’t ready to make
that decision just yet.
What he does know is
that he will need to step
up his game even more at
the next level. What he
has done in high school
won’t
mean
anything
when he gets to college
next year. Pozzuto under-
stands that he will need
to work even harder if he
wants to contribute right
away as a freshman.
9
“To compete at the next
level is all about atti-
tude and hard work. At-
titude can get you in a
college or clear you off
of their recruitment list
in seconds, so bringing
the right sportsmanship
and respect towards your
own players, the refs and
yes even opposing fans is
very important to college
coaches,” stated Pozzuto.
“Also coming to practice
and setting goals for your-
self, to continue pushing
yourself is very import-
ant, because you never
want to maintain skill lev-
el as a player, you always
want to be on an upward
path.”
Nicholas Puzzoto’s path
in definitely on an upward
path.