The Lady Eagles volleyball team is currently 9-1 in district and tied for first place. The Eagles are used to being challenged on the court, and in the classroom as well.

Lauryn Tam, senior defensive specialist, is ranked number three in the class of 2018 holding a GPA of 103.7. While Tam is proud of her accomplishment, she knows it does come with a lot of pressure.

“Pressure is definitely present due to the fact I’m so hard on myself and I’m kind of nervous because I’ve gotten this far and I don’t want to fall in the rankings when I’m this close,” Tam said.

Although academic success seem to come naturally for Tam, like most students she does worry about falling behind.

“The most difficult times are when we have tournaments and I miss AP Calculus and Chemistry because those are very fast paced courses and it’s easy to fall behind after missing one class. But, I try and get ahead in classes to relieve some of that stress,” Tam said.

The Eagles are committed to the same goal on the court of reaching the state championship game. Off the court the ladies put even more pressure on themselves to reach their own academic goals as senior outside hitter, Brooklyn Douglas explains.

“Every year, I raise my GPA and this year I want to raise it to a 4.0 and I’m sitting at a 3.7 as of right now but hope for that to increase when the grades are updated and I want to finish the year strong,” Douglas said.

Cassandra Pittman, senior setter, has set a different but equally challenging goal for herself.

“I want to finish out the semester strong, I want to be done with high school and graduate in December because, I have enough credits to graduate early,” Pittman said.

The coaches work with their athletes and provide them with time to study, which Douglas makes the most of.

“Although its only thirty minutes, I can really get a lot done and it helps me stay on top of my work and sometimes allows me to get ahead,” Douglas said.

Time management plays a big role when it comes to being a student athlete, and the cost of success may mean some other aspects of an athlete’s life are left out.

“I struggle with managing my time because, I focus strictly on school, volleyball, and work and often forget about making time for my friends, which sucks,” Pittman said.

While the Eagles face many challenges throughout the season on the court, the ladies strive to be equally as successful in the classroom. The Eagles will host the Red Oak Hawks on Friday and look to improve to 10-1, and hold sole possession of first place.