AS PROLIFIC a season as Sarah Wood is having, the Dragon volleyball player doesn’t sound merely content with posting big numbers, which she’s done consistently all year.
Switching primarily to middle hitter this year, the senior has delivered high kill totals but remains modest about the impact of her position change on the 25-12 Dragons.
“I still feel like it’s challenging everyday,” Wood said. “But I work at it and I try to get better at it every match, and I do my best to make it successful for me and my team.”
So far, she’s done just that.
Wood is coming off a colossal week in which she posted 123 kills, 30 digs, 18 aces and 16 blocks. For the season, the Dragon veteran is averaging around 10 kills per match.
While playing a new position as a senior has its challenges, she’s liking her new job as offensive catalyst.
“I do like it,” Wood said. “I play both outside and middle sometimes so it works. I like it now.”
The position change — done after Jefferson graduated nearly all its starters from last year — has allowed the Dragons to channel their offense through Wood.
“Obviously, she’s our go-to girl when she’s hitting,” Jefferson coach Mike Paul said. “The offense is going through her so to speak … You’ve got to have that kid that’s willing to take that responsibility on their shoulders.”
Her stats in the kills department obviously speak for themselves, but her 93 percent passing rate is the number Paul marvels at most.
“The stat that’s most outstanding to me – the kills are awesome — but she’s passing 93 percent,” Paul said. “Nine out of 10 serves that come to her, she puts them at the setter. That’s an amazing stat.”
Wood’s success this year has created opportunities for others as the Dragons have climbed to no. 5 in Class AA this year.
Paul said Wood is often drawing a double or sometimes triple block when she goes to swing. That allows Jefferson to set ball to another hitter on the front row, like Daniela Franco or Amanda Flowers.
In fact, the Dragons stand to have three other players besides Wood — Flowers, Lindsey Nilsen and Franco — to reach triple figures in kills this year.
“The fact that Sarah is doing what she’s doing within the team concept is amazing and how she’s able to make her teammates better because of it,” Paul said.
Wood is certainly no stranger to winning on the volleyball court.
She is the lone returning starter on a team that featured the ultra-successful quartet of Taylor Cramsey, Cassie Metcalf, Amanda Daniel and Eden Starnes.
Under that group, Jefferson produced back-to-back 30 win seasons and reached the state Sweet 16 last year.
The conventional thinking was that Jefferson would take a step back after graduating that talent. But with the help of Wood’s leadership, the Dragons near the month of October on pace to reach the 30-win plateau again this season.
“It was surprising but it was a good surprise,” Wood said of the program’s continued success.
Still, the new dynamic of this year’s team meant that Wood would be thrust in a leadership role, a complete change over the past few years
“It’s so different; I never got to talk,” Wood said, laughing, referring to previous seasons.
Now, Wood’s voice is heard clearly.
“I’m the loudest,” Wood said. “I think we do really well as one team, as with previous years there was always just like one speaker. This year, we’re getting everyone up as a team together.”
Said Paul: “She means a lot to this team in a lot of other ways other than her stats.”
Wood has already secured her future in volleyball for at least four more years. She signed recently with Reinhardt after a campus visit, during which she was offered a scholarship.
“I really liked the school and the education,” Wood said. “They want to help you as a student and a player.”
Now, Wood can focus on making her final volleyball season at Jefferson a memorable one. That includes the team surpassing last year’s trip to the Sweet 16.
“The goal is to make it as far as we possibly can — to do better than we did last year,” Wood said. “Because I think we can do a lot better.”
