Wrapping up the final regular season of her high school career, senior libero Violet Poole’s volleyball journey continues outside of Wando, as she is committed to play at the College of Charleston.
“Summer going into junior year, and I wasn’t even gonna go because I wasn’t even considering it because I didn’t want to go that close to home. But I went there and I kind of just fell in love with it. I just really liked the girls on the team,” Poole said.
Poole’s odyssey trails all the way back to seventh grade, when she was first introduced to the game.
“I would say I started playing when I was in, like, seventh grade just for… the Cario Middle School team and then I also did gymnastics too, but I really liked volleyball so I just kept playing, and then I did club, and I wasn’t very good, but I just kept playing… I tried out for Wando. Made the Wando team, kept playing club,” Poole said.
Given how long Poole has been in the Warriors’ volleyball program, the time period of development has allowed her to not only showcase her skills, but also her maturity.
“I think my coach has probably helped me develop the most. They’ve just, you know, they instill confidence in us, and they push us, they make us work hard. I think my work ethic has probably improved significantly. I think I’ve grown, and so have my teammates,” Poole said. “They’ve helped me grow. You know, we push each other to be better, but I’d say mainly, my coaches and my teammates, then obviously, high school too.[It] just helps you mature and grow as you get older.”
Another person who has been able to watch Poole’s journey is girls volleyball head coach Alexis Glover, who knew that Poole was going to be special.
“So Violet tried out… in the eighth grade, right at the end of eighth grade, for varsity. For the volleyball team, we knew immediately that she was going to be something special. She ended up making varsity as a ninth grader, not only making varsity as a ninth grader, but starting as a ninth grader, so she is a four-year letterman,” Glover said.
Glover has witnessed Poole evolve as a player and a person.
“Her biggest development is the confidence that she has in leading and controlling that defense. And, you know, we have young kids playing, we have older kids playing, but nobody has as much experience as she has,” Glover said.
Coming a long way from where she once began, the road for Poole has included different stages of her life. Although the stages vary, Poole traces it all back to her earliest phase of volleyball, sending a message to her past self.
“Everything works out exactly how it should be, and everything happens for a reason, and your timing and your journey is gonna be completely different from your teammates. So just focus on you, focus on your goals, focus on what you can control,” Poole said.
