The Lady Trojans varsity volleyball team has been on fire all season, and they have yet to disappoint in the postseason. They made it to regional quarterfinals and worked hard for their win. They beat the Abingdon Lady Falcons in a five set nail biter with scores of 25-23, 13-25, 18-25, 25-16, and 15-12. Junior Colby Eastwood led the stats with 13 kills and 19 digs. Junior Khamauri Mays had six kills and four blocks. Junior Reagan Vickers had 10 kills. Senior Parris Atkinson had 20 digs, seven assists, and three aces. Senior Izzy White had 18 assists, 12 digs, and three aces. Junior Madison Austin had 14 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore Delaney West had 17 digs. Senior Carlie Marshall had five kills.
The current volleyball season is Parris Atkinson’s senior season. She is libero, on fire all of the time, and willing to do whatever it takes to keep the ball alive. Atkinson had a feeling the game would end in our favor. “You always need a mindset of winning in order to succeed,” Atkinson said. She was elated to have taken this win away from Abingdon. “Our coach and every player was extremely proud of each other’s hard work and determination to fight against a good opponent,” Atkinson said.
The game had everyone, including the players, sitting on the edge of their seats. Atkinson wouldn’t change a single thing about the regional championship. “I’m appreciative of the fight in heart that my girls had in that game,” Atkinson explained. She hopes to improve their ability to stay ahead of the opponent throughout the whole game before their next game. Atkinson’s biggest supporter through all of her games is God. “Without him nothing is possible,” Atkinson elaborated. Her regular pregame consists of eating Chick-fil-a before the game and stretching to make sure she doesn’t get hurt. “My favorite part of the regional championship was seeing what my team was capable of,” Atkinson said, “what I saw from this group of girls is a force to be reckoned with.” She believes that this team can do anything if they put their minds to it. “We have skill, but we need to be confident and know what we’re capable of,” Atkinson explained.
Sophomore Delaney West was particularly pumped about the regional quarter final win. “Oh gosh, I was thrilled,” West said, “I was so ready to prove ourselves as a team.” West was so proud of herself and her team, she felt as if they made it. She was a little tense going into this game because it was important. “I was nervous, but really excited,” West explained. It was more nerve racking for the players because this game took place in their home gym, and no one wants to be shown up in their territory. “I wouldn’t change a single thing about how the game went,” West said. She felt as if every girl on the court worked together for the outcome to turn out in their favor.
West’s pregame was the same as always. “I felt like if I changed anything it would have been bad luck,” West explained. She ate good food, got good rest the night before, and discussed game strategy with her teammates. Though she was nervous, she calmed down a bit seeing her mom in the bleachers. “My mom is by far my biggest supporter, and she never fails to come support me,” West explained. She’s excited for her team to move forward toward regional championships. “We fought so hard tonight, and if we can keep this grit in us we can definitely make it as far as we want to,” West said.
Sophomore Lauren Torborg had an exciting game as well. “I felt like everyone had a great game, and I feel like everyone in that gym was proud of us,” Torborg explained. Torborg was so excited to have stolen this win from the Lady Falcons. She lives by the saying “everyone makes mistakes, but it’s how you fix them that matters.” She really showed how she relates to that saying at the game. “I tried hard to avoid mistakes, but they are inevitable in the game of volleyball,” Torborg elaborated. When she did make a mistake she dusted herself off and did what she could to fix it.
Her pregame routine consisted of eating a full meal and listening to hype music. “Whenever I felt uneasy, I looked for my parents in the stands,” Torborg said, “they have been my biggest supporters since day one.” She felt as if the game gave her and her team a sense of confidence because of the grit they played with. “We were so tired by the time the fourth and fifth set rolled around, and most people were worried we were going to roll over,” Torborg explained, “ but the tiredness gave us the grit we needed to push ourselves harder to win.” The determination the Lady Trojans played with will transfer to any games following and will ultimately prove to them that they have what it takes. “If we continue forward with the attitude we had at regional quarterfinals, then we can be successful in many games to follow,” Torborg said.
Watching these girls absolutely dominate during the regional quarterfinals was one of the best experiences. I’ve learned so much from this group of girls, and I’m so proud of how far they’ve come. They have so much grit and determination, and they know how to fight for what they want.
Unfortunately the Lady Trojans will not be advancing any further toward the state tournament. They lost the regional semi-finals against the Hidden Valley Lady Titans in three sets. They fought long and hard, and they had some really tough rallies. They gave Hidden Valley a run for their money and tried their hardest to keep up a fight. Though they may not advance any further, they are still winners in the eyes of THS staff and students.
