Two Lady Roos reach 1,000 career kills
Nov. 5—Every athlete dreams of hitting important career milestones at any level they play.
Two Weatherford Lady Roo volleyball players have made that dream into a reality.
Seniors Kate Hansen and Riess Griffith entered the season with more than 600 kills apiece. Then they reached the 1,000 career kills mark just one game apart from each other in the final stretch of the season.
Griffith was the first of the duo to pass the milestone, which she did during their game against Chisholm Trail on Oct 18. Hansen crossed the milestone line in the next match against Boswell on Oct 21.
Both girls view the milestones as their journey through their time with the program.
"It is very heartfelt," Hansen said. "It is our last season before moving on to college, and it was a big goal for us to hit before we get into the big leagues. It shows the hard work we have put in here over our team with the program."
"I think it was a way to finish your high school career," Griffith said. "It shows where we were and where we have gotten."
Both girls give credit for the milestones to their teammates more than anything else.
"To do it in the same week, it shows our team's teamwork," Griffith said. "It wasn't just us. It was our team that was buying into it and helping us out. I think some of them wanted it more than we did at times. It is not like they are jealous of us or anything. They genuinely want us to get the ball. It's the best part, in my opinion."
"We wouldn't have gotten to where we are now if it wasn't for our team," Hansen said. "In some games, it seemed like it was 'set Riess and Kate, we have to set for Riess and Kate and let them do it.'"
The other players for the Lady Roos were also mindful of this milestone and tried to do their part to get them there.
"Each of our teammates plays an important role in it," Griffith said. "So when Veronica goes and gives us a pass, she is very mindful of where she is putting it so the setter can give us a good ball. The setters are good at putting the ball where we are best at hitting it."
Hansen and Griffith knew they were close to the milestone but didn't take count until later in the season.
"I think the thought of this milestone was there coming into the season," Griffith said. "We were both mindful of where we were with kills before the season started, and we started to track it before the district games started."
Hansen saw it as her last chance to hit some of the goals she set for herself early in her career.
"For me, coming into my senior season, I wanted to hit multiple goals because it is our last year," Hansen said.
Their achievement also shows Head Coach Karli Morrison that they had the privilege of having good teammates during their years at Weatherford.
"It is a lot of good teammates that have helped them achieve that goal," Weatherford Head Volleyball Coach Karli Morrison said. "It comes from lots of digs and lots of sets. It is a testament to this year and what they have had to do to reach that goal."
With Morrisons' late arrival to the program, she was unaware of how close the players were to this milestone.
Morrison was not made aware of the milestones until late in the season.
"We did not mention the milestone at the beginning," Morrison said. "Once it got to the middle of our district schedule, they told me they were close. In certain games we played, we tried to give them the ball more so they could rake up some kills."
