Northern Star: Clara Swanson

Esko & Swanson are currently 12-2 this season.

ESKO, Minn.- The Esko Volleyball team has started their 2025 season red hot.

A key piece of that early success for Esko is thanks to Senior Outside hitter Clara Swanson,  who has made a big jump from her junior to senior year.

“She was very consistent last year, hitting really well and not making many errors. This year, the power has just come on, and she just hitting the ball much harder this year. If she’s in the back row, she’s passing more and playing solid defense, and when she gets to the front row, we count on her for those kills, and she’s really pounding home,” said head coach Pete Stasiuk

As Swanson continues to make plays for the Esko volleyball team this season. She has also been a silent leader for her squad on and off the court.

“Off the court, she does a lot of the jobs and gets everyone together and just really leads by example on the court and does her job,” said Stasiuk. “I just got to keep positive and keep like a good mindset just to show like things will go wrong, and I just got to stay positive so everyone else will stay positive around me,” said Swanson.

And when the pressure is on in a match, Swanson is a player who can stay focused all game.

“Just that calm, steady player. Very calm and just does her job on the court, said Stasiuk. ” Keep a mindset where I just have to lock in people are watching and I got to do it for my team,” said Swanson.

But even a leader who is cool, calm, and collected will need words of encouragement when mistakes arise, and Swanson gets just that from her team.

“If I make a mistake, I know that I’ll get high fives from everyone, like everyone will start picking me up and get the next play for me almost,” said Swanson.

Esko will next host Moose Lake/Willow River on Thursday night.