Athlete of the Week: Lily Parker

Lily Parker, a senior at White County High School, has spent the past four years focusing on a single sport. After spending her youth and middle school years being a multi-sport athlete, she made the decision as a freshman to focus all of her attention on being the best volleyball player she could be.

“I started playing volleyball in seventh grade, and I ended up loving it more than anything I’ve ever played,” Parker, who used to play softball and basketball as well, said. “It’s funny, because when I tried out, I really wasn’t sure I would like it at all but my friends were doing it so I went along. Now it is my whole focus.”

“Team chemistry is the most important thing in volleyball,” she said. “This sport, more than any other I’ve played, forces you to work together as a team constantly.”

While she’s been having fun, Parker said she’s also been learning while on the court over the past six years. The lessons she’s learned are ones of patience and what it takes to be a good teammate. 

“You have to be patient with your teammates, no one is perfect and mistakes are going to happen. That’s just how it is,” she said. “But you also have to be patient and forgiving with yourself too – for the same reason. And if you aren’t, you are just going to get stuck in a bad spot mentally and then that will carry over to the court and your game.”

Parker’s passion for the sport and her focus on her teammates is evident to her coaches. While Farrah Griffith and Brittany King are just stepping in to take the helm of the Warriorettes Volleyball team this season, King is no stranger to Parker, having been with the now-senior when she was in the middle school’s volleyball program. 

“Lily is a light on the court. She is always smiling and keeps her teammates in the game by encouraging and building everyone up,” King said. “Every team needs a Lily!”

Parker’s time as a Warriorette will come to an end in a few months, but she says that she hopes that’s not the end of her volleyball career. Parker hopes to play collegiate volleyball, but said that she isn’t picy about where that happens.

“Really anywhere,” she laughed when asked where she would like to play. “I just want to keep playing, so hopefully I can get a scholarship and make that happen.”

Of course, there’s more to life than volleyball, and Parker knows that. She plans to follow an educational path that will lead her to teaching, having been inspired by her mother. When she leaves the court for the last time as a Warriorette, Parker hopes that she has inspired those she’s played alongside and those who will come after her.

“Work hard,” she said, “but enjoy the work. It doesn’t last forever and you’re going to miss it when it’s over.”