Player Spotlight: Ava Slaughter

Volleyball games are full of action and strategy. The fast movements of the players’ efforts to hit, block and spike along with the crowd-pleasing action make it an enjoyable game to play and to watch. Ava Slaughter is one of those players that bring the action to the court.

Ava Slaughter is an Outside Hitter for Perry High School. She’s been playing the game for eight years and has had many experiences playing the game. At Perry, she has been voted MVP for Region and has been an All-Region player since her sophomore year. With a staggering 221 kills in her current season with 76 sets played makes her an exceptional player behind the net.

For Ava, volleyball has been an enjoyment in her life long before the competition, ever since she watched her older sister play it.

“I actually started playing because of her, I wanted to be like her, but I ended up falling in love with it myself,” Slaughter said.

Since then, Ava has formed her own heartfelt love for the game.

“Whenever I step onto the court, since it is so hyperactive, that’s the only thing I am thinking about,” she said. “It’s a constant motion, so anything else in my mind just disappears; all I can think about is the game.”

That constant flow that Ava mentions is hard to keep up with, especially in her position as an Outside Hitter.

“Everything’s right in your face,” Ava said. “Whenever the [opposing] hitter is hitting you’re actively blocking, they’re jumping and hitting and it’s right up in your face.”

However, she has her team to back her up if situations get too overwhelming.

“Everyone depends on each other,” she said. “Volleyball is a game of mistakes; no one is perfect.”

Perfection in volleyball, for Ava, is more defined by effort.

“The more effort you put in, and the more you do it correctly, the better you will be,” she said.

The Effort doesn’t stop at just volleyball, though; she focuses on her schooling heavily. Being enrolled in college and AP classes, she balances out her efforts perfectly, to not only succeed on the court but in the classroom as well.

It being Ava Slaughter’s senior year at Perry makes this season special for her, and so far, she is beating the competition left, right and center. Teammates and fans alike can’t wait to see what she can accomplish this year.

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