Enid senior Lainey Morse plays setter and right-side for the Pacers volleyball team. Morse has been playing volleyball since junior high and always brings a positive attitude to the court, practices, and in the classroom as well.
“I first started playing volleyball six years ago in sixth grade,” Morse said. “My favorite aspect of the sport is building relationships with people you get to work with on your team. Once you cultivate those relationships it’s really easy to play and work together. There’s never a boring moment!”
As a senior Morse is a key figure on the team looked upon to set the tone, attitude, and provide leadership.
“I think the biggest quality needed to make a great leader is a positive attitude and a willingness to put hard work in,” Morse said. “Without a positive attitude, you bring your team down, and without a willingness to put hard work in, you show your team that you have no work ethic. They look up to you so they’ll think it’s ok to slack off.”
As the season progresses Morse wants to help her team make it past the first round of regionals and win academic state.
“A goal of mine for my future would be to go to college and get a masters degree in either nursing or psychology,” Morse said.
When Morse needs inspiration she knows where to turn.
“The people who inspire me the most are my dad, my teammates, and my coach,” Morse said. “They always push me to be the best that I can be and they are always supportive of my goals. They’re always kind and encouraging, but are also realistic.”
Morse is appreciative of the opportunities and lessons that she’s learned through volleyball and Enid athletics.
“The best lesson I’ve learned playing volleyball is that you have to have good chemistry and a TEAM over ME mindset to win games. Everything you do on the court should be about what’s best for your team,” Morse said. “Selfishness has no place on a volleyball team. I honestly don’t have one favorite memory playing volleyball – I’ve loved every minute and chance that I’ve gotten to play.”