It is noon on a Thursday afternoon when two vivacious seniors from Chandler High enter a local Starbucks. Their boisterous laughter fills the quiet air and causes a few patrons to peek from the top of their laptops to assess the commotion.

These ladies are not participating in a ritualistic senior ditch day and immaturely skipping class. They have earned a relaxed senior schedule after three years of arduous course work.

One of them, Morgan Panlener, is a member of Chandler High’s beach volleyball team, a weekend barista at Lee's Sandwiches and an exceptional student who plans to study Psychological Sciences at Northern Arizona University next fall.

But she is not your average scholar-athlete.

Panlener has been playing volleyball since she was in fourth grade and began playing competitive indoor club volleyball two years later when she joined Club Vos at the YMCA.

Club Vos is more than your typical weekend youth league. It is USA Volleyball sanctioned, requires members to try out, holds two-hour practices twice a week, employs paid coaches, competes at AZ Region volleyball tournaments, and has a seven-month season that runs from November to May.

Club volleyball is demanding and requires commitment and a genuine love of the game.

Panlener continued her athletic career at the high school level, competing in indoor volleyball as a freshman and participating in both indoor and beach as a sophomore the following season.

But she gave it all up her junior year.

"I had work and a lot of school stuff," says Panlener. "It is the spring season with ACT testing, AP testing and I was trying to focus on that."

Panlener's classmate, friend and future fellow Lumberjack, Brianna Smith, takes similar academic courses and shares in the stressors associated with scholastic success.

"I think it’s understandable because junior year is the hardest year," says Smith. "Junior year was harder than any of my other years in high school. It’s when you start to take more rigorous courses."

With a more relaxed senior schedule, Panlener made the gutsy decision to return to play beach volleyball her senior season after a year away from the game.

"There is just something about it," said Panlener. "I didn’t want it to end sophomore year, and I really wanted to be able to play again."

High school athletics have a hierarchy and a general unwritten rule. Seniors earn their place on the roster through dedication and a four-year commitment to the team.

Reclaiming her spot wasn’t as simple as returning to the team.

In Panlener’s absence, Chandler High made a run to the state playoffs with a roster comprised of young players. To make the team she would have to compete against a number of seasoned underclassmen with no guarantee of making the roster.

"I was a little nervous about it," said Panlener. "It's been a year and a half since I played. I was nervous about my skill level."

Panlener knocked off any rust and displayed the energy, toughness and skill associated with seven years of volley training to help her earn a place on the team.

"She is very perseverant," says Smith. "If she wants to do something, she’ll ask you, and you’ll give her an answer, but she already knows her answer."

Panlener's perseverance is the kind that can convince a group of teenagers to dress in windbreakers, dance to a choreographed routine, and perform "I Want You Back" onstage in front of the entire student body during Chandler High's Lip Sync Battle.

"We went as the Jackson 5, and I was Michael,” says Smith. "Morgan was so confident, [but] we didn't even qualify."

Panlener's determination is what allows her to maintain a 3.8 GPA while taking honors and AP courses, working a weekend job and playing volleyball, but her leadership is equally as impressive.

Panlener volunteers for Chandler's Unified Cheer program, which was created in 2011 by the Arizona Interscholastic Association and the Special Olympics to provide students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to compete in sports and earn varsity letters.

It is this type of initiative, compassion and spirit that prompted Panlener's teammates to vote her as a team captain.

“Having Morgan as a teammate this year was a great way to finish off our final season of sand,” said senior Rosa Alvarado. “She was one of the originals when we had our first season and it was fun to finish out high school with her.”

“Her personality definitely makes practice better,” said senior Mikaila Williams.

Panlener brings energy and excitement to the game. She cheers on her teammates when she isn’t on the court and gives encouragement to her partner during her matches. She is a mentor who uses her experience to alert her teammates to opponents’ tendencies and imparts her knowledge to the younger players on the team.

"It's more about positivity than anything," says Panlener. "Positivity is the most important thing in the game."