At 12-0, Redan Girls Volleyball Set For Region Play

When asking Redan girls Vollyball head coach, Charlcye Henderson if she thought that following the 2015 season, the Lady Raiders would start off 12-0 in 2016, "Well, the last four years we've been to State. I knew this group of girls was special but I never imagined it would be this great of a start, but I knew it would be good!" With three seniors, who have been with Henderson since their sophmore year, Redan has quietly become a team others are talking about. "We'll get to a game or a tournament and the other teams will already know who are players are, Henderson says proudly. Henderson continues to discuss watching the development of her players especially her seniors including middle hitter Johnquanek, Spencer, whom Henderson says "is a go getter. She's who we can look to to finish a game or get the team back in it."

Senior setter, Kiola Symister had to make an adjustment from defense to a setter and according to Henderson, "she has really grown into that position and is a great leader." Another senior middle hitter for the Lady Raiders is Taliah Gardner, who Henderson says that following last season, put in a lot of off season work to improve her game and "came back beasting and really stepped it up." Henderson also praises the hard work of her team and credits them for their determination to want to be better and putting in the extra work to get there. Like junior Gerika Moon, who Henderson says "will come early and stay late" to improve herself to help the team. "She really stepped up and has become a very important part of our defense," Henderson adds when talking about Moon, who went to camps in the off season to help make her knowledgeable about her position. "These ladies worked hard even in the off season on their own. They wanted to go to State like teams in the past, so they worked hard to keep the program going in the right direction.

They're dedication was there so I knew that it was just a matter of time before their hard work to payed off." Henderson adds that "we're very disciplined and we're going to compete every game," continuing to say that, "they're aggressive and they play really smart." Off the court, Henderson says the Lady Raiders continue to make her proud because they take their academics seriously and stay involved in the community. "If you ask them, they will tell you, 'we are student athletes' and they are big in the community." Prior to every home game, the Lady Raiders ask patrons to bring gently used coats, gloves, and hats that they will donate to a shelter. The Lady Raiders will be getting ready for Region play which will begin on Tuesday as they will face Stone Mountain at 5:00PM.