Tessa Lee: Bonney Lake's Libero Setting the Tempo for a Senior Season
Meet Tessa Lee, a senior libero for Bonney Lake volleyball who has turned reading the game a step ahead of everyone else into one of the most valuable jobs on the floor. For most of the gym, volleyball is about the kill. For Lee, it has always been about what happens before the kill ever has a chance. As Bonney Lake's libero, she spends her nights reading hitters, calling out open seams in the block, and getting to balls a half-second before anyone else in the gym expects her to. Heading into her senior season, she is one of the most experienced defenders on the floor, and one of the driving voices behind a Panthers team with real expectations.
Finding Her Position
Lee's path to the back row wasn't the plan, at least not at first. She grew up in a baseball and softball family, and everyone assumed she would end up on a diamond rather than a court.
“I started playing volleyball at small clinics when I was 9 years old,” Lee said. “My family is a big baseball and softball family, so they always tried to get me to stick with softball, but I ended up falling in love with volleyball because of how fast paced the game is. I hated standing around as much as we did in softball.”
She didn't start as a libero, either. Lee came up as a setter, filling in at outside hitter along the way, before making the switch to the back row the year before her freshman season. Her coach wanted her back at setter. Lee had other plans.
“Going into freshman year, my coach wanted me to continue playing setter, but I had made the switch to libero the year before and really wanted to stick with it,” she said.
The Quarterback of the Back Row
It's easy for fans to watch a volleyball match and only track the ball off the hitters' hands. Lee's job happens a step earlier, and it's the part of the game she loves most.
“I love the leadership that comes with being a libero,” Lee said. “Since I'm in the back row the whole time, I can see the other side of the court better than anyone else, so I'm constantly communicating with my hitters about what I see, what areas are open, and where the block is. I also love the responsibility of getting to the ball first and making a good pass to set up a play for my hitters.”
It's a comparison she leans into. “Liberos are sometimes called the ‘quarterback’ of the team because we have to know all of our teammates' tendencies and what they are good at,” she said. “I just love being able to set my hitters up for success.”
A Senior Season with Her Best Friends
Bonney Lake plays in one of the toughest leagues in the state, and Lee knows the program hasn't broken through in districts the way she wants it to. This year, she thinks that changes.
“In previous years, we haven't made it very far into districts, but we have a really solid team this year,” Lee said. “I'm hoping we can make it further than we have in the past and hopefully make it to state. I want us to finish in the top three in our league because I know we play in one of the most competitive leagues in the state.”
But for Lee, this season isn't just about the standings. It's about the people she's shared a court with for most of her life.
“I really just want to enjoy this last season with my best friends,” she said. “I have been playing with Taylin Beers since I was 9 and all the other seniors since middle school. I'm excited to play our last season together after playing together for so long.”
Sand and Success
Lee's offseason doesn't look like a typical indoor player's. She spends her summers on the sand, and she's convinced it's made her sharper on the hardwood.
“I play beach volleyball during the summer, and I truly think every indoor volleyball player should play it,” Lee said. “It makes you smarter, stronger, and faster, and it's just an amazing sport that makes you a better indoor player. Beach has definitely made me a better player because you have to be really smart. You have to recognize tricky spots on the court, know where the open areas are, and understand that you don't always need to have three contacts every play.”
It's a different game than the one her family originally pushed her toward, too. Lee played softball growing up, but the pace never suited her the way volleyball did.
“I didn't enjoy the running or the slower pace,” she said. “I felt like you were only really playing a small percentage of the game because there was so much time spent standing around waiting for something to happen. When I started playing volleyball and realized you were involved in almost every single point, I fell in love with it. My family never really got on board with volleyball at first because they loved softball so much, but they eventually came around a few years later.”
Beyond the Court
College volleyball is still on the table for Lee, but she's not letting it drive every decision. She's already thinking past her playing days, toward a career in dental hygiene.
“As of right now, I'm still 50/50 on playing in college,” Lee said. “I plan to go into dental hygiene, but I'm still unsure about where I want to go. I've always dreamed of playing volleyball in college, and I know it's definitely possible. But the older I've gotten, the more I've realized that volleyball isn't forever, and I want to make sure I'm setting myself up to be successful and have a stable career when I'm older.”
“It's still a toss-up right now, but of course I would love to play in college,” she said. “If I can find a school where I can balance both volleyball and my education, that would be the dream.”
She's already ahead of schedule academically. Lee will graduate high school with her AA and most of her dental hygiene prerequisites finished, and plans to head out of state to complete the rest before entering a dental hygiene program, earning her license, and starting her career.
A Business of Her Own
Off the court, Lee runs her own small business, Custom Banners by Tess, painting custom butcher paper banners for birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, holidays, and just about any other event people want to celebrate. What started as a way to kill time has grown into a steady stream of orders, run entirely out of an Instagram page under the handle @cb.bytess.
“I've always loved art and crafts because of my mom,” Lee said. “I grew up watching her do DIY projects and always wanting to make things her own way, so I think that definitely rubbed off on me. I make 36-inch by 72-inch custom banners that are designed by the person purchasing them, and I freehand paint the designs myself.”
Every banner starts as a conversation. A customer reaches out with an idea, Lee sends back a digital design, and once it's approved, she paints the whole thing by hand. The results range from a bold, fiery “Sadie's 1st Birthday” banner to a soft, ribboned baby shower piece announcing “Mama's Two Silly Geese,” to a graduation banner needling a family friend that she's “not graduated” yet. No two look alike, because no two customers want the same thing.
It's a one-woman operation, built entirely around word of mouth and a senior's worth of free time between practices, and it's exactly the kind of local, homegrown business The Bonney Lake Insider loves to spotlight. If you've got a birthday, baby shower, or graduation coming up, Lee's DMs are open.
Paying It Forward
Lee also coaches middle school volleyball at Mountain View, a role she's held for four years. Several of the girls she's coached have gone on to play for Bonney Lake's varsity and JV teams, and watching them grow has changed the way she sees her own game.
“I've had the opportunity to coach several girls who are now on the varsity team, as well as most of the current JV players,” Lee said. “I've loved being able to watch them grow, not only as volleyball players but also as people. It's really rewarding to see how much they've improved and to know that I got to be a small part of their journey.”
“Coaching has also made me a better player,” she said. “Being able to break down the game from an outside perspective has helped me understand the game in a completely different way. I notice things now that I might not have noticed before, and I think it has made me a smarter player on the court.”
From a family of softball players to the back row of a Bonney Lake gym, Lee has spent nearly her entire volleyball career reading the game a step ahead of everyone else. This season, with her best friends beside her one last time, she's hoping that instinct carries the Panthers further than they've gone before.
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