ROCKINGHAM – Layne Maultsby, a junior libero on the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team, has been named the first Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week for the 2018 fall sports season.
ROSports brings back its successful “Athlete of the Week” segment for the second consecutive school year, as all RSHS fall programs are now in action. Under a new format, the feature will continue to highlight one female and one male student-athlete each week for their performance on their respective playing surfaces.
Now in her third season at the varsity level, Maultsby is an anchor on first-year head coach Ashleigh Larsen’s back row. Her role as the team’s libero has helped Richmond win some big-time matches early this season, especially the three contests the Lady Raiders competed in last week. This is Maultsby’s first career selection.
Athletic Profile
Age: 16
Birthday: Oct. 25, 2001
Year: Junior
Fall Sport: Volleyball
Position: Libero
Years on Varsity: 3 Years
Height & Weight: 5-5, 125 pounds
Experience: 4 Years
“DIGGING UP” THE FACTS ON LAYNE MAULTSBY
RSHS Academics: As the third week of her junior year at Richmond has begun, Maultsby is enrolled in the school’s Advanced Placement and Richmond Community College cluster. She’s got a jam-packed schedule this fall, as she balances a tough course load with the constant on-the-go of being a student-athlete.
At the high school, Maultsby is taking AP European History, AP Language and Composition, AP Psychology and Honors Chemistry. On days when she’s not on Richmond’s campus, Maultsby is at RichmondCC, and is currently enrolled in History 131, Math 171 and Spanish 111. Her favorite class this semester so far is AP Language and Composition, as she explained she enjoys writing.
Boasting a 4.5 cumulative GPA, Maultsby is currently ranked in the top 20 in the graduating class of 2020, and she’s “hoping” to be named a junior marshal this year. By completing a plethora of college courses, she noted that “getting ahead now helps me get stuff out of the way for college.”
RSHS Sports: Since breaking onto the RSHS athletics scene as a freshman two years ago, Maultsby was a three-sport athlete during her ninth grade year. She was the starting libero on the varsity volleyball team, and she also made the varsity basketball team as a guard. In the spring season, Maultsby was the No. 1 pitcher on the junior varsity softball team.
During her sophomore school year, she stuck with volleyball and basketball, and was a part of the Lady Raider volleyball team that went 25-0 during the regular season and Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament. This year, she anticipates going back out for basketball under the direction of first-year varsity head coach Teddy Moseley.
Extracurriculars: Maultsby is actively involved in several organizations at Richmond, as well as in the community. She has been a member of the National Beta Club since her freshman year, and has completed service hours over the past couple of months at several local events, including Dannell Ellerbe’s annual football camp and Richmond County Schools’ “Stuff the Bus” supply drive. In her first year of eligibility, Maultsby would like to be inducted into the National Honor Society.
Outside of school, Maultsby is a member of Second Baptist Church in Hamlet, and participates in the church’s youth group. Over the summer, she traveled to Alabama on the church’s annual “World Changers” mission trip, where she and her team of other youngsters helped rebuild houses for the less fortunate.
“World changers is a really great experience because you get to go help other people,” Maultsby said. “I really enjoyed the people that I get to meet when I was there, and I love being able to go with my best friends. We did a lot of work and I had a lot of fun.”
College Aspirations: While she still has nearly two full years of high school before she starts her college adventures, Maultsby noted it’s never too early to be thinking about what she’d like to do as a career.
“I’m not sure where I want to go to school yet, but I know I’d like to major in business,” Maultsby said. “My dad (John Maultsby) is the human resources director at Trinity Manufacturing, and I’ve become interested in business management.
“For the last couple of years, it’s been kind of a dream to go to Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif.,” she added. “But I’ve also been considering UNCW for a while.”
Layne Maultsby (center) digs a ball during a win over Uwharrie Charter Academy earlier this season.
Athlete of the Week Stats: While many people who watch volleyball look for big-time kills and flashy plays at the net, what often goes unnoticed is the role of the libero. Maultsby, who has held down the fort for the Lady Raiders the past couple of seasons, has grown into a silent leadership role out of the back row.
Richmond played three matches last week, opening at home with Hoke County High School, before playing Lee County and Lumberton high schools on the road. While she doesn’t get many opportunities to send many balls crashing to the hardwood, Maultsby had two of her best matches against Hoke County and Lee County to earn her this week’s recognition.
Against the Lady Bucks, a 3-0 win, the junior libero dug the ball eight times, but her most impressive stat in the win was her six aces from the serving line. She tallied five of them in the first set alone, helping the Lady Raiders to a 25-9 win.
A night later against the non-conference Lady Yellow Jackets, a four-set loss, it was her defense that gave Richmond a chance in each set. Maultsby finished the night with a team-high 28 digs, while also collecting one ace and one kill. Larsen called it “one of her best performances” this season. Through 10 matches this season, she’s collected 111 digs, 11 aces and is averaging three digs per set.
RAPID FIRE – FAST RESPONSES
1) What would your friends say is your most notable characteristic/or the one word to describe you:
“They would definitely say I’m clumsy or awkward,” Maultsby laughed. “I seriously have the worst luck.”
2) Who is a person you look up to as a mentor and why:
“Mackenzie Webb — we’re like the same person,” Maultsby said of her former volleyball teammate who is now a freshman at UNC Chapel Hill. “She follows her own path, and she sticks to what she wants to do, and I respect that.
“We’ve been friends for a long time, and we started playing softball together in middle school, and have gone on a couple of World Changers trips together. She’s a great friend and role model.”
3) What’s the best part of playing volleyball for Larsen:
“I really like how we can have fun and joke around, but we know how to be serious and win games,” Maultsby noted.
4) If you could eat lunch with anyone, past or present, who would it be and why:
“It’d probably be Buster Posey — he’s my favorite baseball player,” Maultsby answered, choosing the San Francisco Giants catcher. “I’ve grown up with family with being fans of the team, and my dad has always been a Giants fan.
“I think I’d just like to get to know him,” she continued. “Just talk about his life and playing baseball — he’s one of the most successful Giants players ever.”
5) Name one interesting fact that most people don’t know about you:
“I’m like the only person I know who has failed their driving test,” Maultsby said with a grin. “It was on my 16th birthday, and I had made plans with Mackenzie (Webb) to go to our church’s Halloween party. But I didn’t make a complete stop at a stop sign and had to wait a whole week to retake it.
“My friends all laugh because everyone has passed the first time except me.”
Coach’s Corner: Larsen, who has been around the team for the past six seasons as the junior varsity head coach and an assistant with the varsity team, has built a strong rapport with Maultsby.
“Layne is a big part of our team,” Larsen commented. “The libero position is an important factor for our team, and she has played really well this year. We can get kills all day, but every match is won starting on defense. Layne’s not really a vocal leader, but she’s a big presence on our team.
“She’s such a well-rounded girl, and I and the other girls enjoy having her on the team,” Larsen concluded. “Everything she does is great, and when I ask her to fix things she does it right away. She’s really started to take more of a presence on the court, and is doing well at taking more passes to alleviate the other hitters.
“My favorite thing about Layne is her personality. She’s such a goofball, but is such a great role model to the other girls on the team.”
