Estella Gonzáles was surrounded by volleyball from a young age, always attending her older sister’s practice and tournaments at Tampa North. Eventually, Estela was stepping into the Tampa North gym on her own team. At the age of eight, she was on a U12 team and continued playing for the club until her senior year at 18.
View More
View More
Fast forward to Estela’s fifth year at Tampa North, at just 13, her team beat the 305 Club for the Bid to Nationals, the first bid Estela would see in her career, but not her last. Her first USAV National tournament turned into her first AAU All-American Award. Many would think Estela had it all at 13, but that only pushed her to work harder each year. Securing her two additional USAV All-Americans during her 16s and 18s years. Estela holds the record for the most All-American awards earned by a player at Tampa North. “Winning my first All American was a surreal experience, I felt so honored to win something so big at that age…and winning an All American for the third time was a perfect way to close out my club career”, said Estela.
The second person from the left is Estela, receiving her last All-American Award at the 2026 USAV Nationals in Reno, Nevada.
Her success didn’t come from just a couple of practices. Success came from her work ethic and the support she was surrounded by. “I always knew I wasn’t ready to give up volleyball after I would finish my 18s season”, Estela said. With the skills and care of Tampa North coaches and her loving family, Estela committed to NCAA D III college, Sewanee: The University of the South.
Estela committed to Sewanee: The University of the South on April 12, 2025, and signed on December 6, 2025, with her club teammate, Sydney Thaxton, who was also going to Sewanee.
Estela loved how the Tampa North coaches “genuinely cared about who she was as a person and not just an athlete”. From the first year and falling in love with volleyball to winning third place at USAV in her last season with her team of only seven players and six on the final day, Estela brings her ten years of playing at Tampa North to an end. To all of the young athletes ready to start pursuing their dream Estela Gonzales says “to cherish the time you have with your best friends and to put in the work so you can get to your next level.”