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\u201cWhen I was a freshman, I was close with some of the seniors,\u201d she said. \u201cThis year, as a senior, I was close with some of the freshmen. Regularly, you wouldn\u2019t have that connection. But being on the team, you get to meet everyone and build those bonds.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t always friendship bracelets and locker room bonding, though. Moyers said she learned to control her emotions with her teammates and work toward a common goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cObviously, you\u2019re not always gonna get along with people that you\u2019re around so much of the time, and being able to realize that those are only temporary disagreements and at the end of the day you\u2019re still a team, and you still love each other \u2014 I think that\u2019s really beneficial,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lows were low. There are summer training camps for varsity players, and Moyers said those are some of the most challenging days for the team. They have six-hour practices with coaches that travel down to train the high schoolers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think us going through that together because it was so difficult and tiring brings us closer because we had to get through it together,\u201d Moyers said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the highs were high. Moyers reflected on one game at Moore County, where she scored 18 serves in a row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think that was one of my bigger accomplishments that I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d she said.\u201dIt was pressure on myself because I wanted to keep going, and if I could have gotten 25 points, I would\u2019ve because that\u2019s the volleyball set.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n This type of perfectionism is common among athletes and students with salutatorian-level work ethic, but it wasn\u2019t completely lost on Moyers how big of an achievement that game was.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt also is a really big confidence boost because as an athlete you put so much of your confidence in your performance, and I think having a good performance really sets you up for your next game or the rest of your games,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Any student-athlete would tell you that a good coach can make all the difference \u2014 as can a bad one. Moyers had the same volleyball coach, Sharon Ruhlander, for all four years of high school. Ruhlander is one of those coaches that teaches her athletes to be respectful no matter what, to lift each other up, and to work as a team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe really did try to make good people rather than just good players,\u201d Moyers said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moyers\u2019s last varsity volleyball season at Fayetteville High School ended in October. She\u2019s headed to the University of Tennessee Southern in the fall to study nursing. And while her days as an outside hitter \u2014 a position reserved for the taller girls on the team \u2014 are over, she\u2019s carrying the lessons that come with years of conditioning, hard practices, and days-long tournaments with her. She even plans to coach middle school volleyball next season as someone who\u2019s been in those young players\u2019 shoes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFunny story \u2014 I tried out for volleyball in sixth grade and didn\u2019t make the team, so I played soccer instead,\u201d she said, <\/p>\n\n\n\n laughing. \u201cBut I practiced a lot more and learned a lot more and prepared myself. And I made it my seventh grade year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moyers said it\u2019s hard to find experienced volleyball coaches in the area. And she already has some experience mentoring middle school players during volleyball camps over the summer led by the varsity players. She even coached the middle schoolers a few times during her senior year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing able to mentor them is important because coaches don\u2019t mean to, but if you have a tough coach, they can break your spirit,\u201d Moyers said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s clear that Moyers loves the sport of volleyball and the athletes. Her excitement for the girls she\u2019ll coach someday is already palpable, and her advice for them comes from years of experience: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThrough the hard times, you can lean on your teammates because they probably have the same experiences you have. Just keep going because, in the end, you\u2019ll regret not following through because it\u2019s such an amazing experience. And getting to travel and play with the people you\u2019re connected with \u2014 you make friendships that will last forever, and you\u2019ll have a lot of stories to share about all the good times you have together.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE SQUEAK of new tennis shoes on the court. The smell of buttery popcorn from concessions down the hall. The spirit of a dozen teenage girls problem-solving, coming of age, and commiserating together. Organized sports teach life lessons that don\u2019t come in any K-12 curriculum, job training, or lecture from a parent. Those lessons will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":20209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/3-3-1024x683.png\")
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