Richmond Hill has taken Region 3-AAA volleyball by storm in this the very first year of the program, and is currently ranked number one. A huge part of the team’s success can be traced back to senior and team captain Gaby Parker. For this, Parker has been named August Bryan County Athlete of the Month.

Parker received her award in front of family, friends, coaches and teammates during a banquet in her honor at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s last week.

Unlike most of the Lady Wildcat roster, Parker is no stranger to the sport. Having moved here from Kansas last year, she has played since seventh grade and has played in the Club circuit since eighth grade.

"Gaby leads all of our girls by a marginal difference," RHHS Head Coach Ashleigh Davis-Lee said. "We are very lucky to have experienced player of her caliber in the first year of the program. Her leadership skills, well-roundedness and desire for the game have helped put us on the map."

Davis-Lee said many of the girls on the team "have never touched a volleyball in their life. Gaby is their role model." She said she hates to lose Gaby after just one year, but her influence on the team and its younger players will be felt for years to come.

In the 12 games played thus far this season, Parker has garnered an impressive 68 serve points, 67 attacks, 46 digs, 29 kills, 28 aces and 13 blocks for the Lady Wildcats.

RHHS Assistant Coach Keith Forkin calls Parker a "natural leader" who "can play every position and every facet of it. She can hit, serve, pass, communicate, play defense – and that’s what the girls see. She leads by example."

Parker, a straight-A student and musician, leads in the classroom as well. She has an academic scholarship offer on the table from Penn State, but she’s keeping her options open in consideration of any volleyball scholarship that may come her way. She said the sport means a lot to her, and she hopes to walk on the Penn State team if she ends up there.

"She’s is talented in so many ways," her mother Ingrid Parker said. "She’s leaving a legacy for others behind her in this program, and that means so much to her."Honorable mentions: BCHS softball’s Tiffany and Samantha Howard, RHHS softball’s Lauren Simerly, BCHS football’s Willie Deloach and RHHS football’s Zach Broome.

To see a photographic history of all the past Bryan County Athlete of the Month award winners, click here http://community.bryancountynews.net/gallery/detail/67/