Senior hitter on successes, setbacks on and off the volleyball court
Camila Monserrat Sanchez-Tellez discovered her love for volleyball as a child, and her passion defined her success no matter where she went on her journey as a student-athlete.
“All of my life, I’ve always maintained a strong connection with sports,” said Sanchez-Tellez, who studies advertising and public relations at CSUDH. “I have always been connected with athletics in some form and it has made me driven, caring, competitive, and happy.”
Two of those connections also happened to be among the most important in Sanchez-Tellez’s life: her mother and aunt.
“My aunt, Claudia Tellez, started a women’s hockey movement in Mexico, and I see her as a motivation because she has gone through many life experiences,” Sanchez-Tellez said. “She went through so many barriers to build up a legacy and pave the way for a generation of hockey in Mexico. I try and do anything in her honor.”
As a child, Sanchez-Tellez followed in her aunt’s trailblazing footsteps by joining an all-boys hockey team when she was just 10 years old. However, while being a part of the hockey team, she developed an interest in volleyball, inspired by witnessing her mother’s professional volleyball career during her upbringing.
“I remember growing up I would see her play and I wanted to be like her,” Sanchez-Tellez said. “I grew out of playing hockey and decided to start playing volleyball in middle school with my mom being there every step of the way.”
As a middle schooler, Sanchez-Tellez started playing for a local community sports league team, which boosted her sense of self-confidence and motivated her to try out for her high school team.
Sanchez-Tellez recalled “barely” making the freshman team at John Burroughs High School in Valley Glen in suburban Burbank. An inauspicious start, for sure, but Sanchez-Tellez was determined to make the most of her opportunity. Hard work and grit on the court paved the way to becoming the captain of the Burroughs’ varsity squad.
Although Sanchez-Tellez played on several club teams during high school, volleyball remained her main focus. “I started taking volleyball more seriously because I saw a family friend play at USC and knew I wanted to do that,” Sanchez-Tellez said. “The energy, and the emotions I felt were outstanding and I wanted a volleyball career in college.”
After evaluating her college options, Sanchez-Tellez first landed at Pasadena City College, where she developed close connections and further honed her volleyball skills.
“I absolutely loved it there and the environment was beyond amazing for my life,” Sanchez-Tellez said. “We were a winning team and even though I wanted to move on from the school, I truly appreciate all my moments there with my team.”
Despite creating remarkable memories at PCC, Sanchez-Tellez completed her first two years there and sought a new environment to transfer and elevate her volleyball skills to the next level.
This opened up an amazing opportunity with CSUDH recruiting Sanchez-Tellez to their volleyball program and she transferred in 2022. Sanchez-Tellez came in super excited to play for CSUDH and has made heartwarming connections with her teammates.
“I love my teammates, they are like a second family to me and have made myself so happy to play here,” Sanchez-Tellez said. “I always joke that they will be in my wedding because of how close I’ve become with many of them.”
Establishing enduring connections with her teammates at CSUDH, she navigated through many challenging weeks of training and tackled a substantial academic workload during this athletic journey.
“I have learned to do a lot of growing up with every major setback for the team,” Sanchez-Tellez said. “I spend almost 7 days a week with my team and some days those practices are extremely deterring but my teammates are always there for me whenever I need them.”
As a Toro, Sanchez-Tellez has been a standout superstar for CSUDH. She recorded a total of ten games where she has had ten or more kills with also having a total of ten games where she had three or more digs.
Highlighting her 2023 season, Sanchez-Tellez established career-highs of fifteen kills and six digs. This contributed to her accumulating an overall of 122 kills and 39 blocks for the 2023 season. Although Sanchez-Tellez has plans to graduate in the spring of 2024, she is still eligible to play another season at Dominguez Hills.
Last April, Sanchez-Tellez joined the Star Squad of the Los Angeles Galaxy and mentioned that this opportunity has allowed her to continue a career in sports once her volleyball journey comes to an end. The Star Squad is a highly interactive group that represents the LA Galaxy organization at both community events and home games.
“The main reason why I chose DH was because I didn’t know what I wanted to do career-wise if I stopped pursuing volleyball,” Sanchez-Tellez said. “I knew I wanted to still be connected with sports because that has shaped who I am, and LA Galaxy has generously provided me with that opportunity.”
Sanchez-Tellez’s family and athletics mean so much to her and they both are what truly makes her who she is today. Sanchez-Tellez echoed that this connection is everlasting and that her family will always support any path she chooses.
“Sports will always be a part of me whenever I go and my family will always stand by my side,” Sanchez-Tellez said. “I will write my own story for what I feel is right, and I will never take anything of these moments throughout my career for granted.”
