Westmoore's Savannah Ragsdale shows that Character Counts sponsored by Eskridge Honda

Written by John Tranchina

Savannah Ragsdale admits that when she tore her ACL in last season’s regional tournament, she wasn’t sure she would be able to make it back and play volleyball again.

But the Westmoore senior middle blocker learned that she’s a lot tougher than maybe she previously thought, and after working hard all off-season to rehabilitate her injury, she is back and contributing for the Jaguars this season.

“It’s been tough,” Ragsdale said. “I had doubts in my mind when I first did it, ‘Would I be back in volleyball?’ It’s given me some challenges, but I know that it’s made me work a lot harder. I thought I jumped pretty high last year, and when I tore my ACL, I lost a lot of my vertical, so it made me push myself to try and gain that back. It’s given me more confidence that I can do more stuff in the world.”

And as a senior, Ragsdale makes a point of taking on a leadership role with the Jaguars.

“I try my best to stay positive and encourage the team a lot,” she said. “As a senior, I do believe that people look up to you, so if you’re putting negativity on other people, they’re going to look at you like someone they don’t want to be. If you’re putting positivity in other people, it makes people look up to you with a good view.”

“Savannah is a very positive young lady,” Westmoore coach Kacia Sandburg added. “She has a big role and is really doing great things.”