Varsity volleyball’s season has begun with a big start. Although, many key players are injured. Junior Kayla Green, varsity libero, is out due to a shoulder injury, which leaves a big gap to fill. Senior Grace Bond and senior Brooke Nalley are also out. This led to an opportunity for freshman Elise Murtha to be moved up to varsity from the freshman A team. 

“I definitely felt like she had the talent for the position I needed to come up and play at that level.” varsity head coach Janie Litchford said. 

Litchford, has a certain philosophy when it comes to moving freshman up to the varsity level. 

“My philosophy for freshmen, or for anybody as far as that goes, is if I think they are good enough and we need them there, they are gonna be there,” Litchford said. “They can move up and stay with us or they can be a floater and go down.” 

Murtha feels that she benefits from playing on varsity, even as a younger member on the team. 

“I think being able to have the opportunity to play at the higher level pushed me to become a better player – having me play against players who are older and have higher skill level,” Murtha said.

Murtha entered her first game at the Texas Open 2023 tournament. She was anxious but ready for her new experience. 

“I was really excited to get the opportunity to play,” Murtha said. “Honestly going into it, I was kinda thinking I was gonna be a benchwarmer, but I ended up getting some playing time. I was very excited about [it] and appreciative.”