- 2023 Highlights
Personal Statement
My volleyball journey began just last year when I became a member of the 2022 Newton County High School volleyball team. During my first year, I was fortunate enough to play as a starter on the varsity team where my passion and love for volleyball began to grow more and more throughout the season. When the season came to an end, I was honored to receive an award for “Most Improved.” Shortly after the season, I knew that I wanted to advance even further in volleyball and decided to try out for club volleyball with the Queen City Royals team. I was filled with excitement to receive the news that I had made the Nationals 16U team. For the next several months, I was given the opportunity to travel and continue playing while working endlessly on not only improving my volleyball skills, but also developing new ones. To finish off my first club volleyball season, I was fortunate enough to travel with my team to Orlando, Florida where we played in the AAU Nationals 16U Open tournament.
I carried all the knowledge and skills I gained from club volleyball into the fall 2023 season of high school volleyball. Throughout the season, I played middle hitter and eventually gained experience playing back line as a defensive specialist, as well as outside hitter. For my second year of high school volleyball, I was incredibly proud to see how much I had grown as a player in just one year as my overall rankings at the end of the season included #6 in blocks, #4 in digs, and #4 in hitting percentage in my district. However, my most prized accomplishment would be winning the 4A State Championship with my team in just the third year of the volleyball program at my high school.
Throughout my life, I have played additional sports, including softball, basketball, and gymnastics but never grew to love any of them the way I did volleyball. I did, however, become a member of HOSA and the yearbook club once I entered high school. I believe that each of these has helped me to develop new skills that I can use in both volleyball and life in general, including teamwork, communication, leadership, time management, creativity, organization, problem solving, and decision-making skills.
Following high school, I am planning to attend college to become a Physical Therapy Assistant. I am looking to attend a college located in the southern region but am open to any opportunities that may arise. My hopes and dreams would be to continue playing volleyball while in college. Through high school and club volleyball, I have gained experience and skills in playing multiple positions on the court, including middle hitter, outside hitter, and defensive specialist; therefore, I believe that I am flexible and able to adapt to any changes. I enjoy teamwork and working together as a team while on the court as I feel this is one of the most significant aspects of not only winning, but also having a successful team. I remain motivated to continue learning and improving in any area possible and would be honored to have the opportunity to continue playing the sport I love so deeply.
A letter from Coach:
Anna Grace Armstrong is a coach’s dream player. Her work ethic is unmatched. She is the most consistent offensive player on our team due to her dedication to her craft. There have been many times that I have had to kick her out of the gym so that I could go home. She led her championship team in serving and hitting percentage. She was a force to reckon defensively as she was second in blocks and led the team in digs. If there was a big moment in a match, the ball was always in her hand. The team never had to worry if the situation was too big for her. She is a cornerstone of our program here at Newton County High School not only for her ability, but her attitude as well. Volleyball is a game of momentum and mental toughness. This is where AG makes a difference with her teammates. I rely on her to help control what is happening on the court and in team huddles. She is always one of the first to lead the charge when the ball is not rolling her team’s way. Anna Grace will be a leader and a difference maker in whatever program she is a part of.
Matthew Beasley
Head Volleyball Coach
Newton County High School MS
