Tonight up in Dublin, Virginia, Coach Edwards opens another season of Lady Cavalier Volleyball when her latest team faces Pulaski County High School.

Because Coach hesitates when asked the question about how many years she has held the job, we will say tonight begins year #117. But seriously, Edwards is at home whenever she has a whistle around her neck and she is teaching the game she loves 💘 to our youth.

Yesterday morning, I was faced with a lengthy drive 🚗 down to the Ashville, North Carolina area so there was plenty of time to ponder a Kickoff story to the upcoming season.

Cheyenne Strickland Marinus came to mind because of the story that the former Lady Cavalier had once served 25 straight winners 🏆in a College Volleyball match over at Ferrum.

Alyssa Ervin winning the Three Rivers District Player of the Year Award during her Senior season was bouncing around in my rapidly aging head.

The nights where Edwards was able to watch two former players square off against each other when Miss Bunn and Miss Stockner met. Eastern Mennonite University versus Ferrum had to be highlight real memories for Coach.

The night on The Hill where both Rose 🌹 and Coach Knight were in the Gym together. That night had decades full of memories for sure.

Next thing I know, I see an exit sign for a town that says Marion on it. I immediately think about how cool it must be to have a town in both Virginia and North Carolina named after you ? Marion Harris has it going on, doesn’t he?

Callie Harris is set to begin her final season with Coach and being that Edwards would be 103 before a Granddaughter of Mama Petty or Shelia Harris would play Varsity, this will end the incredibly long, long run 🏃‍♂️ of Petty and Harris Sisters playing Carroll County Volleyball 🏐. I quickly remembered back to the night in the School cafeteria when we captured the picture 📷 of the five of them.

But Callie isn’t the only Senior this year as Laiken Burnett, Brooke Webb and Corrie Delp are also finishing up their Volleyball careers this season.

  Then God presented me with the answer 🙏 at Exit 65 on I-40.

  There are a number of words you can use to describe the ladies listed above. Focused, Driven, Determined but the word I would choose for Miss Sarah Alderman is ” Blessed “. In my life, I’m not sure that I have ever met someone who has the disposition that the Freshman who just started attending classes at the little College tucked away just outside of Black Mountain. NC.

Alderman took a year off from playing Volleyball 🏐 for Edwards and switched to helping Coach for Edwards by helping with one of the younger teams. Now, its time to complete the circle 🔵 by returning to the Volleyball court as a player.

 

This Saturday afternoon the team she now belongs to will play its inner-squad match and the sign in the Carroll County High School Gym, the one that says – Once a Cavalier, Always a Cavalier, fits here as well because the Cavalier at the top of this story is the Montreat Cavalier.

 

  During her Senior season, which I believe included five Senior Days, I remember sitting next to her Father at Galax High School during a Soccer ⚽️ game and the topic of where Sarah might go to College came up and Bridgewater came up but BC is a long way from home.

Montreat is a little ways from Home 🏡 as well but the campus looks to be a great fit for the nicest person I know.

Back in 1978 Hall & Oates recorded a hit song 🎵 titled ” Sara Smiles ” and almost 50 years later I’ve actually found Sarah & her Smile !

The link above hopefully 🙏 will take you back to one of my favorite writes ✍ in my time here.

Volleyball 🏐 is in the Air here as the Middle School began their season last night, tonight the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams start theirs. Friday night, Duke University will play inside of Cameron Indoor and thanks to the next in a long line of Medical appointments, we will be there for that. Saturday will be  the first day of the next chapter for Miss Alderman.

I eventually made my appointment in Ashville and trying to create a ” This is Your Life ” moment for Coach Edwards allowed the time to slide by !

  Plymouth Rock, not sure if Coach was there, teaching the game to the Pilgrims but I know that there’s no place Edwards would rather be then on a Volleyball court !

  Two Football teams, two Volleyball 🏐 teams, two Cross Country teams and the Golf ⛳ team will be in action 🎬 later today. We will happily share any results that make it this way.