The Lady Panthers Behind the History-Making Volleyball Season
PCA’s varsity volleyball team began the season ranked just inside the top ten teams in AHSAA’s 3A classification. Since August, the girls have been fighting their way up the rankings, and just before postseason play, had earned the number two spot behind last year’s state champions, St. Luke’s Episcopal School – the team PCA knocked out of the state tournament during the first round of playoffs! This season’s success is largely due to the leadership provided by the team’s seniors: Dasha Dillard, Sydney Jorgensen, Emily Kamykowski, Victoria Wheeler, and Robbyn Johnson (team manager). Most of these incredibly-talented teammates have been a part of PCA’s varsity team since their seventh-grade season.
Dasha Dillard has been playing volleyball for seven years. While she has played every single position on the court during those years, her primary position is outside hitter. Her favorite thing about playing volleyball for PCA is “making it to state and just always laughing and having a good time with her friends”. She is sad that this is her last year because she has been playing with the other seniors and many teammates for so long. Dasha considers them her sisters, and she “can’t think of life without them.” When asked, her advice to the other volleyball players is, “Honestly, just keep working hard and never give up on your dreams. I have been dreaming of going to state since middle school and after all of the hard work and dedication it has paid off.”
Sydney Jorgensen has been playing volleyball since fourth grade. She has primarily played defense, and her favorite thing about playing with PCA is sticking with the girls that she has been playing with since middle school. “Emily, Dasha, Victoria, and I have all been working towards this year since we started playing in the seventh grade. They have made my volleyball experience fun, and I’m not ready to leave them next year.” When asked about how she feels about it being her last year to play for PCA, she said, “I’m sad that it’s my last year of volleyball. I’m really going to miss my senior teammates, my coaches, and the whole team. They have been so fun to be around the past few years.” Sydney’s advice to the other volleyball players is “to enjoy every second of your volleyball years because it really does go by fast.”
Emily Kamykowski has been playing volleyball since the third grade. Her primary position is Libero, but in the past, she has played setter and defensive specialist as well. She has loved playing with all of her teammates, and she has enjoyed making memories with them that she will remember forever. When asked how she feels about it being her last year playing for PCA, she said, “It’s so crazy that it’s my last year playing volleyball, and it hasn’t really hit me yet. I’m definitely going to miss it, but I am thankful for all of the years that I’ve had the opportunity to play.” Her words of advice to the other volleyball players is “to just have fun and play for your teammates.”
Victoria Wheeler has also been playing volleyball since elementary school. Her primary position is middle hitter, and her favorite thing about playing for PCA is the friendships that were made and making it to state two years in a row. When asked how she feels about it being her last year playing for PCA, she said, “It’s sad, and I will miss it a lot, but I’m excited to see what’s next for my volleyball career.” Her words of advice to the other volleyball players is, “Set yourselves goals and go for them. Never give up and always give 100%. Also, enjoy every minute of it because time flies, and before you know it, you will have played your last game.”
Robbyn Johnson, team manager and another senior influence on the team, has been a part of the program for the past two seasons helping with scorekeeping, film, and other game-day duties. She went above and beyond to assist the Lady Panthers, but especially on game days! Robbyn always made sure everything and everyone was game ready and cheered on the Lady Panthers all season long – never missing a game.
“Our seniors not only made a huge impact on our team’s success this season, but they’ve also impacted the volleyball program as a whole,” said Kaylon Cantrell, PCA’s head volleyball coach. “This has been a very special senior class! These girls have been a part of the volleyball program since seventh grade and even attended PCA’s volleyball camp before that. They have grown so much over the past 6-7 years, and it has been so much fun coaching them! Their leadership on and off the court is what led us to state this year. Each of them leads in a different way – whether it was vocally, by actions, or through encouragement, they have been working hard since the gym opened in the summer, and they encouraged their teammates to do the same. They are definitely a special group of girls!”
While the Lady Panthers championship run ended sooner than they had hoped, it wasn’t all for nothing. This year’s varsity team made program history by finishing the season undefeated in regional play and the first team to advance to AHSAA’s Final Four tournament. The Lady Panthers finished 16th in the state overall and second in 3A rankings.
By: Audrey Maddox ’25
Journalism Student
