Set. Spike. Serve. Our Lady Dubs are serving the competition with their dominant teamwork and extraordinary talent, backed by their amazing coaching. Whether they are playing top-ranked teams like Alpharetta and North Forsyth or at practice, they always show up with passion, dedication, and Warrior pride. With “aces” and “bumps” as sharp as a lightning bolt, North Atlanta’s volleyball team doesn’t just play the game; they own every court they step on with precision, swagger, and superb spikes. These girls are conquering the competition, securing a spot as 3rd in the 6A region with a record of 18-7.
Junior Dorthy Perno is slaying her second year on varsity as one of the team’s strong setters. On the court, she is like the quarterback of the team. Like a quarterback, Perno is in charge of calling the plays. Before matches, she helps her fellow dubs practice their assists, spikes, bumps, serves, and more. During her freshman year, the coaches saw a glimpse of her talent, and now her impact on the team is evident, creating exceptional growth. “Coach Dun Han is great at reminding us of what we need to do, keeping us locked in and motivated,” Perno said. “It’s exciting playing against really good teams because it shows we’ve been doing well with our communication and teamwork.”
This season, they played against the top two teams in the region: Alpharetta and North Forsyth. Playing against these teams was challenging, though they lost against both teams, 3-0, they were able to hold their ground, bringing competition to the court. Coach Dun Han is great at reminding them of what they have accomplished in the season, no matter the turnout of some of the games. Han is big on keeping their spirit up. Perno uses the losses as a way to fuel her spirit and drive for the future games. “I cannot wait for a rematch,” she said.
Crushing their final year on varsity, senior Samantha Bailey is one of the team’s right-side hitters. She’s in charge of balancing the offense and defense on the right side of the court. Bailey has been playing volleyball since eighth grade, joining the varsity squad her sophomore year at NAHS. However, she is excited to start her journey playing volleyball at California Baptist University. The bittersweet feeling creeps up on her because of the many core memories attached to the team, one being the talks they have. Before games, the dubs talk to strengthen the team’s chemistry, and during games, she reminds herself and the team of how much time, work, and effort they’ve put in to get to that certain point. Emphasizing they should play like they have nothing to lose. When it came to Bailey’s opinion on playing two top region teams, she praised the opposing team’s work ethic, staying gracious in defeat. “It was intense, especially because their teams were really good,” she said. “For North Forsyth, we played really well but didn’t get our desired outcome”.
As the cheers in the stands go silent and the gym lights fade, North Atlanta’s volleyball team doesn’t just leave numbers on the scoreboard; they also leave memories filled with passion, friendship, and pride. No matter the year, the future of the Lady Dubs is filled with continuous sets, spikes, and serves.
