South Central鈥檚 Somer Davenport shines on the volleyball court
WINTERVILLE, N.C. — 鈥淚f you really love volleyball, no matter how hard it gets, no one can ruin your love for the game.鈥� Somer Davenport, a junior at South Central High School, began playing volleyball in the 5th grade and 鈥渇ell in love with it.鈥�
The young athlete played the competitive sport during middle school and has continued her volleyball career throughout high school. Somer explains, 鈥淚 tried out for volleyball my 6th grade year at AG Cox and played all three years. My 8th grade year I started playing travel volleyball with ECJVC. I became a 鈥榮etter鈥� and that is still my position today.鈥�
The East Carolina Junior Volleyball Club, ECJVC, 鈥渟trives to foster a technical knowledge base, skill set, sportsmanlike conduct, and a desire for young female athletes to achieve their highest goals.鈥� The organization is directly affiliated with the Junior Olympic Volleyball and offers players challenging competitions while traveling within the region, as well as national level competitions.
With Somer鈥檚 dedication and hard work on the court, she was offered a position on the South Central Varsity Volleyball team, her freshman year.
The Falcons head coach, Morgan Hazelwood, describes, 鈥淪omer takes constructive criticism well and works hard to make adjustments. She works with our hitters to provide them with the sets they want, and exactly how they like them. Somer is a well-rounded player and plays club ball to keep her skill level up and to constantly be improving!鈥�
Somer recently accepted a position on the national team with the Top Caliber Volleyball Club, joining the team when her high school season has finished. Top Caliber is dedicated to building each athlete鈥檚 growth in fundamental skills, while building confidence in techniques on the court.
The official beginning of a high school volleyball season is marked by tryouts, where players demonstrate their strengths and 鈥渁ttitude towards growth.鈥� Coach Hazelwood describes, 鈥淧ractices start early in the summer and run four days a week, two hours a day for four total weeks. This is considered an 鈥榦pen gym practice鈥� for anyone interested in trying out for the team.鈥�
The coach continues, 鈥淥nce the team selection is made, we practice on days we do not have a game. Each practice we come together, warm-up and stretch, and work on certain focuses each day, passing, serving, defense, setting and hitting. We always try to have 鈥榞ames鈥� sprinkled into our drills and practice to keep it fun!鈥�
According to the National Federation of High Schools, the number of high school volleyball players in the nation has seen steady growth in the last decade. Last year, a reported 520,000 players hit the court during the school year.
There are five positions filled on every volleyball team; the setter, outside hitter (left-side hitter), middle hitter (middle blocker), opposite hitter (right-side hitter) and libero (defensive specialist). Each of these positions plays a specific, key role in winning a match during a sport that requires coordination and strategy to succeed. Players must jump, dive, and spike the ball to score points while communicating and collaborating with their teammates on the court.
As a setter, Somer is responsible for 鈥渞unning the team鈥檚 offense鈥� and setting the ball up for her teammates to spike. South Central head coach says, 鈥淎 setter has to have a lot of heart, and you can see that in how hard Somer works to hit the floor and get balls up. She is not scared to do whatever it takes, sacrificing her body to keep the ball in the air.鈥�
Coach Hazelwood continues, 鈥淪omer is a hard worker, watches the court and can make quick decisions on plays, tips and dumps. She can get a little dirty and I love that about her! We absolutely love having Somer on the team!鈥�
The eleventh grader is also an avid softball player, juggling both sports simultaneously when seasons overlap. Somer鈥檚 athletic drive has proven to be beneficial when she faces obstacles. She explains, 鈥淟ast year was a busy year, with volleyball ending and then right into being the main pitcher for South Central. My body needed a break, and I was diagnosed with scoliosis early on in the softball season, but it didn鈥檛 slow me down, I just pushed through the pain.鈥�
Somer says, 鈥淢y favorite thing about volleyball is how fast paced it is, and it is also like an escape from reality. You have no time to think about what is going on at home or in school, and I absolutely love it!鈥�
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