ROCKINGHAM — Back for its third school year is the Official Richmond County Athlete of the Week feature, this year presented by Moss Brothers Tire and Service.
Each week, one male and one female student-athlete from Richmond Senior High School will be selected by his or her coach as ROSports’ Official Richmond County Athlete of the Week based on his or her performance in helping their respective team.
Hitting her way into the first Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week slot for the 2019-20 school year is senior volleyball player Jadyn Johnson. An outside hitter and three-year varsity player, Johnson used her heavy hand and serving to help the Lady Raiders out to a 2-0 start last week. This is Johnson’s first career recognition.
Athletic Profile
Age: 16
Birthday: Sept. 5, 2002
Year: Senior
Fall Sport: Volleyball
Position: Outside Hitter
Years on Varsity: 3 Years
Height & Weight: 5-7, 135 pounds
Experience: 6 Years
“HITTING THE COURT” WITH JADYN JOHNSON
RSHS Academics: Not only has Johnson had a good first week back on the volleyball court, but she’s gearing up for a final successful year in the classroom. A part of the Richmond Community College and Advanced Placement clusters, Johnson is the No. 1 ranked student academically in the graduating class of 2020.
With her overall grade point average at 4.759, Johnson has found a way to balance playing volleyball while also taking six classes this semester. At Richmond, Johnson is taking AP Chemistry with Mr. Matthew Learn, and is also involved in the Senior Senate, instructed by Ret. Lt. Col. Jon Ring.
Her other four classes are all at RichmondCC. Johnson is enrolled in Chemistry 252 with Mr. Lankford, Math 251 Calculus with Mrs. Michelle Chappell, Macro Economics with Ms. Kim Parsons, and Accounting with Ms. Matilda Davis. Johnson is also an active member of the Richmond National Beta Club and National Honor Society.
“I plan on graduating with an associate’s degree in arts in May,” Johnson explained. “That’s the benefit of having two years of free college. I stay up late a lot to get my work done, but I also take advantage of in-school time and doing homework before games. My busy schedule helps me find a balance and builds my time management skills, which will be very useful for college.”
Future Plans: As of now, Johnson’s hope is to attend North Carolina State University and major in chemistry starting next fall. From there, she wants to attend pharmacy school. She is also applying to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the University of South Carolina, Wake Forest University and High Point University.
“Pharmacy has always been something I’ve been interested in,” Johnson explained. “I also really like chemistry and math, which both tie into pharmacy. I want to volunteer at a pharmacy to get some practical experience after volleyball season.”
Athlete of the Week Stats: Richmond earned two wins in two chances last week to start the 2019 campaign. The Lady Raiders opened the season with a 3-1 win over Anson High School, and followed up with a 3-2 come-from-behind win against Montgomery Central.
Against the Lady Bearcats, Richmond gained momentum in the final couple of sets to seal the deal. Johnson was second on the team behind junior middle hitter Georgia Grace Anderson with nine kills. Her biggest contribution came a night later against the Lady Timberwolves, as Johnson’s serving in the fifth set turned the match in Richmond’s favor for good.
After battling back to tie the match twice, Johnson took over the serving line with the fifth set tied at two. She went on a nine-point streak, picking up one of her team-high five aces. She also was the team’s leading hitter during the match, killing the ball 10 times in the win.
Coaches Corner: Second-year head coach Ashleigh Larsen has been with Johnson her entire volleyball career, seeing her come up through the junior varsity ranks as a freshman. Now that Johnson is in her final campaign, Larsen spoke about her outside hitter embracing her leadership role and how her performance at Montgomery Central boosted her and the team’s confidence.
“Jadyn has been a lot more vocal this year,” Larsen said. “She knows how to get the girls pumped up on the court and that was clearly evident the last two games. When we were down, she was a lot more aggressive at the net hitting and she’s taken Savannah Lampley’s spot as our No. 1 outside hitter.
“It’s been good to see her develop in her roles,” she added. “The serving run the other night was really good for her. She struggles with her serving sometimes, so that brought some confidence to her. She has a very aggressive serve and I hope she uses it more this season.”
Raider Video Chats: Jadyn Johnson, Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week
New this season is our “Raider Video Chats” segment that allows student-athletes to connect with fans and readers through video interviews. In her video, Johnson talks about the volleyball team’s fast start, some goals for the season, as well as sharing some personal tidbits about her life in our “Rapid Raider Response” segment. Click photo for video.
