ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – It’s hard to believe but a new high school volleyball season is upon us. North Cross is one of many teams looking to improve this year and this weekend could be a boost in those efforts. The Raiders program will host the inaugural “Donna Datterwhite invitational.”
“It’s named after Donna Satterwhite who was a long time volleyball coach and athletic director here,” said Raiders coach Emily Gaston. “I believe she’s coming to the tournament to honor her and she was inducted into the Hall of Fame at North Cross last year. So, it made complete sense to name it after her. It’s an opportunity for us to play schools we don’t normally see during the season.”
And the Raiders players agree with those sentiments.
“The volleyball team has never really had a tournament like this before,” said Raiders junior Maggie Bibby. “Some of these opponents are good competition for us. So it’s really good competition for us we can use to give us grounds to know we can come together as a team.”
“It’s also a chance for people to see different perspectives on how different students live their lives,” said Raiders senior Julia Corliss.
There will be a total of 12 teams on hand Saturday from all different parts of the state including Lynchburg, Richmond and Virginia Beach. Admission is just $5.