By Blake Chadwick
Andover Central senior Georgia Ward was an outside hitter and defensive specialist for the Jaguars this year, completing her 10-year competitive playing career.
The senior has always loved volleyball and has been a leader on every team she has been a part of.
“Georgia is a shining light for our team,” head coach Kayla Weidert said. “Rarely does she have a moment where she gets down on herself or others, and she was the person who was guaranteed to make us smile and laugh every day.”
Ward came into the season trying to leave the program better than when she first joined it, and did just that, even while playing through a shoulder injury.
“My shoulder injury put a harsh toll on my body as well as my mind,” Ward said. “Looking back now, I knew that the best game I had played was my very first game of the season, and my hitting abilities had never peaked the same since then without any pain. I have never had any injuries otherwise throughout the years, and this was something I would never have thought would happen to me.”
Ward attributes her hard-working and positive mindset to her grandpa, who passed away from ALS when she was younger.
“My positivity and humor has always come from my family,” Ward said. “The ideology that my Grandpa had, was to always keep an optimistic mindset and to always spread love wherever you may go. My mom has embodied his spirit and his personality in such a beautiful way, that it always inspires me every day to be a loving and positive person; I wish to create smiles and laughter left and right.”
