"She's been dying to play varsity forever," said her mom and Warriors head coach Alaina Parker. "She's a great leader on the floor. She seems to be one of those people who thrive in tough situations."

And no situation is tougher than coming in as a freshman, expecting to play libero, and starting as the setter for a team coached by one of your parents.

"I think she felt like she had something to prove," said Alaina Parker, who originally thought her daughter would be playing libero for the team. "She wanted to make sure everyone knew she'd earned it."

Alaina Parker said as a coach she was never concerned about whether or not her 14-year-old daughter could handle the pressure that comes with running the Warrior offense.

"She's very confident in her skills," Alaina said. "She doesn't get rattled. She's a good, strong presence on the court."

And as for her older teammates, the coach said they accepted her as the floor general because most of them had played club volleyball with her for many years.

"It was nothing new for them," Alaina Parker said. And then, of course, there is the look she gives her teammates when they are not quite playing up to her expectations.

"We laugh about that," the coach said. "She did try to give me the look once and I sent her to practice with the JV. We came to an understanding that in the gym, I'm coach, not mom."

Parker helped the Warriors to a third consecutive state title with 869 assists, 110 kills, 326 digs and 113 aces.

Megan Clyde,
Hurricane

Megan Clyde is so nice her coaches actually discussed how they might convince her to be a little meaner — at least on the court.

"She's the nicest person you've ever met," said Tigers head coach Daniel McKeehan.

While they couldn't quite convince the soft-spoken three-sport athlete to be mean, when her team needed her most, she found a way to be more aggressive at the net. Tall and athletic, she is not only effective at setting up her teammates for kills but slamming down a few herself.

"She went from one or two kills a game to five and continued that all the way through the tournament," McKeehan said. "She's a very quiet leader. She just goes out and plays hard. She works hard and has a great attitude. She's diving for balls, into the stands, under the scorers table, and she sets that tone the minute she walks in the gym. Her teammates feel bad if they don't match that."

Clyde averaged 30 assists per match in leading the Tigers to a 3A state title. She's started at setter since the middle of her freshman year and over time has developed into an effective leader, mostly because of her incredible work ethic.