by Emma Pridgen
Alexis O’Neal is the new head volleyball coach for the varsity girls at Greenfield School. Coach O’Neal got involved with Greenfield after hearing about it from her family that is from Wilson County. She is 23 years old and came straight out of college to become a coach.
Alexis O’Neal attended college at Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC and played volleyball all throughout her college and high school career. She started playing volleyball when her mom signed up for a rec league at 6.
I asked Coach O’Neal what inspired her to become a coach and she said “being able to relate to volleyball players on a personal level and not only being a coach but someone that my players can come and talk to. Another thing that has inspired me to become a coach is my passion and being able to pass off my knowledge to Greenfield volleyball players, after playing volleyball for 8 years.”
Coach O’Neal loves what she does, and she has made a significant impact on the volleyball team so far, and I know my team and I cannot wait for an amazing season with her.
Coach O’Neal said that her biggest inspiration was her grandmother. She states that her grandmother has “taught me to be the woman that I am today and to keep my head up no matter the situation that I may be in, and to trust in God and keep faith.”
Lastly, some volleyball related questions. I asked coach what her favorite position to play in volleyball was, and without any thinking she immediately said middle. She says, “even though it is not the easiest position but being the active person that I was on the court showed how hard I loved the game of volleyball.” Coach O’Neal is incredibly competitive, and she loves to put in the work. She is incredibly positive and always keeps a good attitude no matter the circumstances.
The last question I asked her was what her favorite game is to play in practice. She answered with Bingo-Bango-Bongo. She says the whole concept of the game is to win a rally to earn bingo, then the next win you get bango and lastly you get bongo. You want to get all three to get one big point. She introduced this game to the team in practice, and it is a fun game, but it is also an effective way to learn to work better with your team and to keep control of the ball.
Coach O’Neal cannot wait for the rest of the season with us, and I know our team is ready to bring home some wins with her as coach! So far this we are 3-3 but each practice coach tells us to stay positive, not get in our heads and to play as the team she knows we are!
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