Mary Hannah Arrington has thrived under pressure ever since she first took the court for the
Pope (Marietta, Ga.) Greyhounds. At no time was that more evident than in the state finals during her sophomore season.
Mary Hannah Arrington has competed inthe Junior Olympics.
Photo courtesy of Dixie Wilson
Trailing Walton 13-8 in the final game of the Class AAAAA championship game, Pope needed a miracle comeback in order to beat their rivals. Arrington stepped to the service line to provide just that.
"It's literally do or die time," said Pope coach Bryan Jones. "She knew she had to get them in, but she couldn't take it too easy on them. She had to keep the serves tough enough to keep Walton out of system. Thanks to the consistent pressure she brought with her serve, we go on a seven-point run and we win the state final."
"The TV crew covering the finals was extremely impressed at the calm, cool and collected 10th grader who just served under such enormous pressure and they named her the finals MVP," Jones added.
Arrington called her performance the most memorable in her volleyball career that has been filled with memorable moments. She first got a taste for the sport when she peppered in the front yard with cousin Adam Horstman, a former University of Southern California and European pro player. Her latest accomplishment was competing in the 2011 Junior Olympics in Atlanta.
"Words can't describe all of the emotions I felt walking out onto center court," said Arrington. "I still get chills thinking about it today. Our whole team put in so much hard work and effort all season long and I am so proud of everyone. Everyone played together as a team and that's why we did so well."
Being a team member is Arrington's strongest quality, according to Jones.
"She is a dedicated team player," said Jones. "She has a very solid grasp on the importance of ‘team' in competition. She is extremely supportive of her fellow players."
Jones also notes that Arrington is very humble despite her many accomplishments.
"She is polite- for the first couple years on varsity I literally had to tell her 100's of times that she doesn't have to call me ‘sir' she can just call me ‘coach' or most of the kids just refer to me as ‘Jones,'" he said. "She just has a really good grip on reality. Even with all the on the court accolades she's received she still remains humble and works hard at everything she does."
Continue reading after video
Watch more videos of Pope volleyball
