ROCKINGHAM – Savannah Lampley, a senior on the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team, has been named the sixth Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week for the 2018 fall sports season.
Lampley’s career as a Lady Raider volleyball player came to an end last week as No. 21 Richmond lost its first-round match in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A state playoffs. But her career as a four-year starter was capped off with her third-straight selection to the Sandhills Athletic Conference All-Conference team. Lampley has now earned the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week honor three times (twice as a junior), which is the most of any student-athlete since the award began last fall.
Athletic Profile
Age: 18
Birthday: Oct. 25, 2000
Year: Senior
Fall Sport: Volleyball
Position: Outside Hitter
Years on Varsity: 4 Years
Height & Weight: 5-9, 165 pounds
Experience: 6 years
“HITTING THE FACTS” WITH SAVANNAH LAMPLEY
RSHS Academics: Not only is Lampley productive on the volleyball court, but she’s also amongst the top students in the graduating class of 2019. Currently, she’s ranked third in her class and carries an impressive 4.7222 GPA. A frequent flyer on Richmond’s distinguished A Honor Roll, Lampley is enrolled in the Advanced Placement cluster and is taking several college-level courses this fall.
Lampley only has two classes that are actually in the classroom, being English IV Honors and Math 152 at Richmond Community College. All of her other courses are online at RichmondCC or RSHS and include: English 111, History 132, Sociology 210, AP Art History and AP Biology.
“My favorite class this semester is English IV Honors at Richmond because it’s only one of my two classes in the classroom,” Lampley explained. “Ms. (Tiffany) Covington makes it a really relaxed environment and it gives me a break from the stress of my other classes. We just read ‘Macbeth,’ which was pretty cool.”
When she’s not involved in academics or athletics, Lampley is actively involved in several organizations around campus. She’s a general member of the National Beta Club and National Honor Society, clubs she’s been a part of since her freshman and junior years, respectively. She was also a junior marshal during graduation last June.
Earlier this month, Lampley was one of several RSHS students on the annual homecoming court, and she was sponsored by senior football player Eli Russell. To ice the cake, Lampley and fellow senior Evan Hudson were named Mr. and Miss School Spirit, Richmond’s version of homecoming king and queen.
RSHS Sports: While she’s made the All-SAC team in volleyball since her sophomore year, Lampley’s primary sport at Richmond is softball in the spring, serving as a three-year starter for head coach Wendy Wallace. During her junior campaign, she made the All-SAC and All-District teams for the third consecutive year, was named to the All-State team, and earned the 4A state player of the year award.
A left-handed hitting shortstop, Lampley batted .535 as a junior (which led Richmond), had a 21-game hitting streak, and led 4A play in runs scored (56), stolen bases (36) and doubles (17). She has been verbally committed to play softball at UNC-Wilmington since the summer before her junior year.
Last year, Lampley was also a part of the inaugural Lady Raider bowling team. Former head coach Jeff Ingram noted she was “consistently the team’s best bowler” and missed making regionals by 30 pins. She plans to forego the bowling team this year to focus on preparing for softball.
College Aspirations: As mentioned, Lampley will continue her academic and softball careers at UNCW next fall. She plans to major in biology and wants to pursue a career as a physical therapist or a physician’s assistant.
“I still have to get accepted without help from the athletic side,” Lampley explained. “But it’s good to know where I’m going because I can start planning my major and I know where I’m going to live. A lot of people from Richmond go there, and I’ve been keeping in contact with some of them.
“I’m really excited about playing softball there,” she continued. “I like the coaches and everybody on the team, and I know a lot of the freshman who will be there next year. And I like the fact I’ll be at the beach all year.”
Savannah Lampley (foreground) attempts a kill during a match against Pinecrest High School earlier this season.
Athlete of the Week Stats: Lampley’s third Athlete of the Week honor comes as a result of her being one of three Lady Raider volleyball players named to the 2018 All-SAC team. She’s joined by junior teammates Carley Lambeth and Layne Maultsby (both first time selections), and was consistently Richmond’s hardest hitter at the net all season. In the No. 21 Lady Raiders’ opening round playoff match against No. 12 Providence High School last Tuesday, Lampley had a team-high eight kills.
She also finished the year fourth in the conference in kills (238) and kills per set (three), both of which were first for Richmond. Her 38 percent kill percentage was also fourth-best amongst SAC players with at least 230 kills. Lampley also helped out in the back row, as she finished her final campaign with 201 digs (eighth in the SAC and fourth on the team).
RAPID FIRE – FAST RESPONSES
1) What’s been the best part of playing volleyball at Richmond the past four years?
“It was really nice my first three years to have the same people on the team, which allowed us to become close and have good team chemistry,” Lampley said. “And I think that’s why we did so well my junior year. My senior year was fun because I became more of a leader.”
2) If you could meet any professional athlete, who would it be and why?
“Jennie Finch because she’s the best softball pitcher ever,” Lampley commented of the US Olympic pitcher. “I think she’s really good and it’d be cool to meet her.”
3) Who is someone who has impacted your life positively such as a mentor, teacher or coach?
“Both of my parents, Danny and Angela Lampley,” she noted. “My dad has basically been my hitting coach my whole life and has had a big impact growing me as player and committing to UNCW. My mom has always supported me and helped me pitch when I was younger.
4) What is one word that your friends would use to describe you and why?
“I think ‘energetic’ because I’m always talking and I’m loud in practice and games,” Lampley explained. “And in volleyball, everyone picks on me because I pace between sets and I can’t stand still.”
5) Name an interesting fact about yourself that many people may not know about you.
“I’ve worn the number 12 my whole life because that was my mom’s number in college when she pitched at Wingate (University),” she concluded. “I’ve always used it as my jersey number and it’s become my favorite number.”
Coach’s Corner: First-year head volleyball coach Ashleigh Larsen is no stranger to Lampley’s dominate play over the last four seasons, as she served as a varsity assistant coach the last six years. According to Larsen, what has made Lampley such an asset to the team, especially this year, was her leadership qualities and ability to be a force at the net when the team needed it most.
“Savannah stepped up and filled the shoes of all the girls who left this season,” Larsen said. “She was a tremendous leader for the girls, and was always trying to get them pumped up during practice and games. Her stats obviously speak for themselves and she had a huge year and broke out during her final season. It was a pleasure to have her on the team and I hate to see her go, especially when she started hitting the ball really well.
“She’s just one of those kids you enjoy being around,” Larsen concluded. “Savannah can keep you on your toes because you never know what she’s going to do. She’s super smart in class and a big goofball, too — she loves to make people laugh. It’s a good quality to have.”
