“From the first game to our last, our growth mentally and physically was exceptional. I loved seeing us grow as a team,” states Kennedy McCants, middle hitter and blocker for the North Augusta High School volleyball team.
However, this growth did not come easy. “Arin Moore tore her ACL and MCL on the court during one of our earlier games,” McCants explains, “It was extremely difficult to see one of our most esteemed players suffer from a life-changing injury”.
Cara Alan, setter on the volleyball team, adds “I would also say being able to play through COVID and quarantines was hard on us”.
Despite this tragic loss of a skilled player and the drawbacks of having players being required to quarantine themselves, the team persisted.
“The season had its ups and downs, but we beat South Aiken for the first time since 2016 and we made it to the second round of the playoffs,” Alan says.
These achievements were major morale boosters for the starting of the volleyball season.
“Our best game we played together was against South Aiken,” explains Emily Greenway, outside and defensive specialist.
Alan also says, “the second time we played Aiken we played really well and came together as a team”. At the end of this season, the team holds a record of eight wins and fourteen losses.
“This season has been really enjoyable and I’ve gained a lot of knowledge from this season as well,” states McCants, “Although we’ve had some hard losses, collectively, we’ve improved on previous mishaps we’ve experienced".
Greenway adds that, “the team has endured several injuries this year, but we were able to adapt as a team”.
Although the volleyball team does not walk away from this season with an overall victory, the achievements they have reached this year despite the obstacles faced are remarkable.
The team remains hopeful to keep up the same level of teamwork and effort for the remainder of their high school career, and perhaps even beyond.
Pictured here are NAHS volleyball athletes amping each other up for a game.
Photo contributed by NAHS volleyball team.
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