A great student, and a passionate volleyball player, Sydney Cole is a role model to fellow students at Cherokee Trail. Already committed to playing for the University of Colorado, Sydney tells her story of success and triumph with volleyball.

Every bump, set, and spike that varsity volleyball player Sydney Cole (12) has made for the past 9 years have served her to get to where she is now. A model student and athlete, Cole has spent the past 4 years using her incredible talents in volleyball to help bring the Cherokee Trail varsity team to their current third ranking in the state.

“I’ve been on varsity four years so I’ve grown up with these girls, and we’re just like a family now,” Cole said.

When most people think of volleyball, they think of players hitting the ball as hard as they can over the net, but that is not the only important aspect of the game. As the team’s setter, Cole assists each player in making a kill, taking the second ball in the game and getting it to a hitter as well as she can.

Cole’s excelling talent at assisting is not only seen when she plays, but has also manifested itself in the all-time assist record at Cherokee Trail.

“Right now, for CT, I have already beat the assist record,” Cole said in her interview with CT-TV. Not only does she already have the assist record at the school, but she also holds the current second place title in the state for assists. “I’m trying to get to first [place],” Cole said. She has spent the past year trying to achieve the first place ranking, and she hopes to get there before her legacy at CT ends when she heads off to college.

The past four years of high school volleyball have become some of the most important to Cole. Playing with some of the other team members since her freshman year, Cole and the team have not only developed a strong rhythm in their playing style, but have also grown close to one another. “I’ve been on varsity four years so I’ve grown up with these girls, and we’re just like a family now,” Cole said.

She has decided to attend the University of Northern Coloradoto continue her career in volleyball. After attending a camp at UNC, Cole committed herself to the team there. “I went to a camp at their school…they wanted went to come on a visit at their school so they could talk to me on campus,” Cole said about why she committed to UNC. Being close to home and family is important to Cole, so UNC will provide her with a good team and keep her close to the most important people in her life.

Although Cole’s success story at Cherokee Trail is coming to an end, her outstanding skills at volleyball will without a doubt serve to create a new legacy as she moves on to college. However, there is no doubt that her conquest of the past four years will not be forgotten in the halls and at the nets as future generations take over what she will leave behind.

Story by Sophie Blank