When fans attend Volleyball games, they see athletes leaping to send balls soaring over the net, and they hear whistles blowing. Each Lady Raider has a key part in part to play in the success of the team.

Jailah Vickers, 8th, explained how her position as middle back works.

“Let’s say the other team tried to spike the ball over, I would jump up and try to block the ball from going on our side,” Jailah said.

Mallory Craig, 8th, who has played the position of setter for four of her six years playing Volleyball, knows how to help the team.

“If the team did not have a setter, my hitters would not be able to get good swings on the ball and that is what wins games,” Mallory said.

Paris Novak, 8th, earned her spot as the libero by improving her ability to jump and hit and embracing the Volleyball mentality.

“I would say the biggest challenge is knowing where the ball is going before it even gets there,” Paris said. “You have to have incredible speed. My position helps the team because I cover all of the deep court, and I have to get to places quickly.”

As libero for JV, Laney Bush, 8th, sees a similar challenge.

“It’s hard to get all the balls in the back all the way to the front,” Laney said.

Usually a backrow setter in her rotation, Mallory Craig, 8th, sometimes plays front row as a right-side hitter.

“If I don’t, then I sub out for Stephanie Delgado,” Mallory said.

Kara Kantharinh, 8th, stays in the front row.

“I sub in with our amazingly-talented libero, Paris,” Kara said.

Jailah also plays front row.

“I sub in with Janet once she has to rotate to the front and then we switch,” Jailah.

The Lady Raiders have different reasons for wanting to play Volleyball. For some, parents were the inspiration.

“My mom threw me into Volleyball when I was little and I stuck with it,” Paris said.

To carry on the family tradition, Kara tried out.

“My mom talked about her high school Volleyball years a lot, so I decided to try it out and ended up loving it,” Kara said.

Laney tried out because she thought Volleyball looked like a fun sport to play.

“Now I love it,” Laney said.

Ashley Aceves, 8th, also began the sport for fun.

“This season with the girls has made Volleyball matter even more,” Ashley said.

Thanks to Coach Heyn’s help, Ashley earned her position as all back.

“I support the team by getting hard hits and short balls,” Ashley said. “From there, the girls get the ball over the net.”

Many of the girls want to continue playing Volleyball in the future.

“I hope to continue it at Northside and go on longer if possible,” Dariana Mendez, 9th, said. “I have always found Volleyball fun and have played it since I was little.”

Mallory also sees Volleyball in her future.

“I want to play in high school and also a college coach said she liked how I play,” Mallory said.

Madison Freeman, 8th, has dreams for her future.

“I hope to get a Volleyball scholarship at Oklahoma State University and then become an Olympic Volleyball player,” Madison said.