Harrell reaches a milestone
Published 10:04 pm Wednesday, October 12, 2016
As a defensive specialist and team leader at the libero position, Logan Harrell has accomplished something in her high school volleyball career that she never imagined herself doing.
On Sept. 20, Harrell had 27 digs in a game against Peninsula Catholic High School. Those 27 digs catapulted her into the history books as she became the all-time leader for Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ volleyball. At that moment, she sat at 1,357 digs for her career.
Now she sits above 1,400 digs, with four games left in the regular season and the playoffs in the near future as well.
“It felt amazing to know that my hard work for the past four years has paid off,” Harrell said of her accomplishment. “I’m excited to reach that milestone.”
Harrell said that before the game against Peninsula Catholic, she knew she was close to making history. She just didn’t know how close she was. Throughout that game, however, she never let it distract her from helping her team get the win. Her focus was to continue to make things easier for her teammates.
“While I was playing, I didn’t know how close I was because I wasn’t worried about it,” Harrell said. “I was just playing how I normally do, making every pass easy for Nicole to set.”
When Harrell started playing volleyball as a seventh-grader, she never imagined herself breaking records. She admits that she surprised herself with how far she has come.
The NSA senior was preceded by excellent liberos in the past, including Morgan Daughtry and Bridget Murphy. Kaylor Nash was the previous record-holder for digs, and she is currently playing Division I volleyball.
“I am so proud of her and this accomplishment,” NSA coach Robyn Ross said.
Last year at a tournament, Ross asked Harrell if she could trust her as she switched her position to libero. Harrell made the switch and has been breaking records and making a name for herself. Harrell is the first NSA libero to make first team all-conference and first team all-state.
“More than just her breaking records, she is someone the younger players look up to,” Ross said. “She has become a great leader and someone the younger players try to emulate. This is what makes a success story in my world. She makes me and her teammates want to be better just by being around her.”
Harrell will continue to build on her success along with the NSA volleyball team at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at Cape Henry.