Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
FRANKFORT — There’s a lot of volleyball left in Grace Townsend’s high school career. But if you’ve watched her play, you know it seems like she’s been around forever.
Put simply, the junior plays like a well-seasoned veteran.
Last season, Townsend helped Adena finish 24-3 overall, win the Scioto Valley Conference championship and reach a Division III regional final.
This year, the Warriors stand at 15-7. Some might say that record reflects a “down” year compared to the program’s standards. However, Townsend and company are quickly figuring things out and peaking at the right time — a non-welcome sign for any postseason opponent.
“We have played loads of competition and we get better every day by doing that,” Townsend said. “We had a slow start but our team is coming together. We lost four great leaders last year but we’ve got five more that just happen to be some of my best friends. Our team has lots of chemistry and we have a deep roster. Being on the court at all times, I know I have to step up and be a leader when my team needs me. The biggest lesson we’ve learned is not to give up and to trust each other because we’re just getting started.”
Alongside her leadership responsibilities is a jam-packed stat sheet.
This fall, Townsend has logged 66 kills, 55 aces, 21 blocks, 186 digs and 579 assists. Those numbers include her 1,000th career assist, which she collected in September.
Since, she’s piled onto her total and currently stands at 1,406 career assists.
“1,000 assists had been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember,” Townsend said. “But achieving it wasn’t on me. I couldn’t do it without my girls. I can’t set without a pass and with my amazing hitters, they make my job easy. The key to getting there was focus and trust. It means the world to me to say I accomplished that as a junior.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
And, all the while, she’s had her future in focus.
Townsend has balanced volleyball and classes at Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center. Because of her success, she’s been selected as SOSA’s PR Athlete of the Month.
“At Pickaway-Ross, I’m studying cosmetology,” Townsend said. “I’ve loved doing hair for a long time, knowing I can graduate high school with my cosmetology license. And, of course, I still want to go to college and play volleyball as well. So when I go to college, I will always have cosmetology as a backup. I’m just trying to pursue all of my dreams as quickly as possible. Pickaway-Ross gives students so many opportunities to get your life started quickly.”
At one point, Adena was 9-7 overall. But after a loss to Unioto on Sept. 26, the Warriors have rattled off six straight wins and have dropped just one set.
“Starting off slow only made us better,” Townsend said. “It made us strong as a team and I believe sometimes you have to lose to actually win. We go hard every single day at practice and when we step on the floor, we give it our all every day. [Adena] Coach [Laura] Smith pushes us to be our best. There is a lot of sweat and tears put into where we are now. We are a team with a lot of talent and that talent only shows when we are working together and clicking with one another.”
Adena will start its tournament run on Oct. 19, hosting either Valley or Belpre in a Division III sectional final. The program will be searching for its 37th district championship.
“We just need to keep working towards our goals and giving our all in practice every day because that’s where it starts,” Townsend said. “We definitely want to make a regional appearance again and hopefully go as far as we can. Like I said, our team has a ton of talent. We took some time in the beginning to start clicking, but I feel like we are going to prove some people wrong.”
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