All of my life I have been told I was too tall to not play basketball. Basketball had never interested me before. I remember being in my fourth grade classroom, writing a journal about something that happened over the weekend and that's where it all started. My mom had signed me up for a recreational league for volleyball teams. I never thought that by signing me up for a rec team, my whole life was about to change. I went to tryouts for a club called Beach Elite back home in Virginia Beach for the first time and I made the 13's team for that club. I gained so much experience from my coaches and the playing time. We moved to Harrisonburg my 8th grade year in 2013 where I was asked to participate on a Junior Olympic (JO's) 14's team here in the valley. I moved from Harrisonburg to Staunton so I could play varsity volleyball at Robert E. Lee. I made the varsity team my freshman year and was a starting middle blocker. Since being on my JO's team, the Lady Vipers, I have gained so many wonderful friendships with the players and their families. Freshman year wasn't so great for my varsity team but we wanted to get better and keep getting better. Junior year on varsity became harder and harder. The team and I were on the track running half a mile in the scorching sun and then running up and down the stairs to work on footwork. All of the sprints, suicides, weightlifting, and conditioning were so worth it just like our coaches told us. We had worked hard and it showed as we got on a Quick's bus and rode to the state championship game at VCU. As soon as I got into the VCU girls volleyball locker room, it all sunk in and became real to me. This is all I hoped for when I was just 13 and starting to play volleyball. I always looked up to the older, better girls and wished it was me. Stepping out onto the court for my first state championship game was scary. I was nervous and I hoped to make a positive impact on my team. Sadly, we fell to Marion in the VHSL State Championship game and I had felt that I betrayed my seniors and took away their last chance to get a ring. As a senior at Lee High whose varsity volleyball season is over, I will always look back on the four greatest years in my life. All of the sore muscles and the tears, which at the time were not worth it, became the only feelings I wish I could have back. Our assistant coach, Roger Davis, has taught me most of the information I now have about this sport. When you have coaches who love the sport just like you do, you gain way more knowledge.  I wish that I could step back on the court of the Paul Hatcher Gymnasium just one more time and be able to warm-up and play with my teammates. We weren't a perfect team and I was never the perfect player but the feelings were perfect. Throughout the last two years I have played I have had college coaches approach me and my parents and I have invited coaches to my tournaments. I will, without a doubt, miss Lee High volleyball and all of the lessons that came with it.