Jade Ware.
Do you know who she is? Well, if not, it’s about time you do. She is by far one of the best volleyball players in Southfield High history.
She had everyone talking at the volleyball team’s game on November 4, against Berkley. She amazed spectators by serving 25 consecutive points in that District Finals game. Ware was a key reason the team won its fifth consecutive District Championship this year.
Her records are proof of her talent. In the last game of District finals this year, Ware had 40 serve attempts, 16 aces, 29 hitting attempts, 20 kills, 2 blocks and 25 digs.
“Pretty incredible, huh?” Athletic Director Timothy Conley says of Ware. “The game was one of the most incredible events to ever happen at Southfield High.”
Ware says she developed her killer jump serve with top spin this year. Few can return her lethal serve.
Her volleyball skills were honed through hard work, practice, and a lot of experience. “I played in middle school, but I didn’t really get good until my tenth grade year,” Ware says.
In addition to after-school practices at Southfield High, Ware works with her Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) coach, Alisha Love. Ware says she’s had the same AAU coach since freshman year, and that is the main reason she is so good at volleyball.
Love also coached Southfield High’s volleyball team but retired last year when her daughter, volleyball player Amanda Love, graduated from the school. That’s when team fans started to lose hope in the volleyball team, says Ware. This was mainly because Love was considered the best coach the team had ever had, and her daughter was their star player. With this in mind, Ware aimed to put hope back into faculty and students’ minds.
“A lot of people said (the volleyball team) wouldn’t win districts,” Ware said, “but with our new coach, Dana Cooper, we didn’t miss any steps; we actually moved forward.”
Because of Ware’s impeccable records, she was the team’s weapon of mass destruction.
In addition to the overall help of Ware and Cooper, the volleyball team was led to victory by teammates and captains.
“I was very proud of our team for making it this far this season,” the team’s libero, Claire McCarthy, said. “Jade was an absolute contribution to us winning districts. She’s just a team leader; she’s always been since freshman year.”
McCarthy added, “I was very surprised because during the season, it was very tumultuous in the beginning, so it was hard to see if we’d make it to Districts.”
Co-Captain Cassadine Reed is another player appreciative of Ware. “Jade served the whole game and is a great setter, also with Jade, I was able to get more points with her amazing sets.”
Reed added, “I wasn’t surprised to win Districts (against Berkley) only because we beat Berkley High School earlier during the season.”
Ware, for one, intends to take her volleyball skills to the college level. She has been talking to several colleges about athletic scholarships and says she has an offer from Virginia Union, but so far nothing is formalized, Ware said. She says she is also considering Bowling Green State University and Cincinnatti University.
With or without a volleyball scholarship, Ware says she plans to study athletic training after graduating in June.