The 2024 Fair Grove volleyball seniors played their final game on November 8, 2024 against Hermann High School, securing the second state championship win in a row. The seniors include Brooke Daniels, Shea Skouby, Gretta Arnett, Ashton Bell, Abbey Green, and Emaley Stallings.
Volleyball captain and senior, Daniels, shared that volleyball has been a major part of her life for a decade. Many of her favorite memories include the annual float trips and the excitement of traveling to state tournaments these past two years. Daniels explained, “[Being a part of back to back state champs] truly is the best thing that could’ve happened. I’m blessed to play for the team, community, and school that I do.”
Along with volleyball, Daniels also participates in basketball, softball, and track. In order to balance these sports with her academic life she explains how she splits summer up in order to focus on one sport at a time and uses her class time to keep up on her school work.
Head volleyball coach and high school counselor Tonya Peck, shared her pride in coaching such a dedicated group. She explained the early challenges they faced such as being split into varsity and JV and how well they handled them. She said, “These young women are not perfect but they are even better human beings than they are athletes.”
Peck further explained that the key to their success was the bond between the seniors. Daniels shared, “Volleyball has taught me that teamwork and leadership can go a lot further than you think. Teamwork is the most important aspect of any team and I think our team had not only amazing teamwork but also great leadership as well.”
Peck has coached these seniors all four years and has shared how special they are and how much she has loved coaching them. Another senior volleyball player, Arnett, said, “My coaches have pushed me to become the best athlete possible, without which I could not see the dedication I had to put into playing to get to the state title.”
This year’s seniors are leaving a legacy behind them as role models within the Fair Grove community as Peck explained. She shared, “This group of young ladies have been an amazing representation of our program and the school in general. They train hard, play hard, fight hard, compete hard. But most importantly, they love their school, community, and teammates hard! We will miss them something fierce!”
