Every two weeks, the Patriot will randomly pick a student from the directory, find out more about his or her life, and prove that every student has a story.

As a child, sophomore Sarah Pattisall sat and watched her dad play volleyball. She became entranced by a game she didn’t know much about, but she could tell that her father loved it. She never imagined she and her father would form a bond because of this very sport. “I just remember being a little girl and thinking, ‘wow I want to do that one day,’” Pattisall said.

Pattisall’s father played professional volleyball in the military around the world in places like Japan and Venice, Italy from age 19 into his twenties. When her father started playing games in the United States, she was able to watch.

Pattisall was surrounded by volleyball throughout her life. Due to her father’s love, enthusiasm, and involvement in the sport, Pattisall grew to love it as well.  “He even used to host a tournament every year in our back yard,” Pattisall said.

Now Pattisall is just as in love with the game as her father. Pattisall is on the women’s JV volleyball team and plays for Upper Chesapeake Volleyball Club. Her father coaches both the JC volleyball team and her club team. “I started playing on a team freshman year, but I would always play with him when I was younger,” Pattisall said.

“We have definitely grown closer because we get to spend a lot of time together since he coaches both my school and club teams,” Pattisall said.

Pattisall prefers the JC volleyball team as opposed to the Upper Chesapeake Volleyball Club. She is able to bond with her teammates outside of volleyball. “The other girls on my team have become close friends. It’s a great feeling know we can all depend on each other and succeed together as a team,” Pattisall said.

Pattisall intends to continue playing volleyball throughout her college career. “Since I’m planning on going to college on the west coast it would be nearly impossible to not play volleyball in college because it’s such a big sport there,” Pattisall said.

“I have a strong friendship with the girls on my team and you can really look to the older and more experienced girls for help,” Pattisall said.

Ashley Beyer is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.