By Todd Wills
November 06, 2008 11:38 pm
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It's not often that a freshman takes on a vocal leadership role on any team. But it's happened on the Navarro Lady Dawgs volleyball team with Amanda Lowe.
It's not so much with words, but with a cheering noise you can hear Lowe making during team introductions and even on the court.
In fact, she was doing it dressed in street clothes at the Runnin' Bulldogs basketball home opener earlier this week.
"I like to get people hyped up," Lowe said. "We all feed off of other people's energy. So I like to make people laugh at me.
"I think we play better when we're not all freaking out."
Lowe, from North Richland Hills, does more than just fire up and relax her teammates. She is one of the blockers in District L. She will be a key player for the Lady Dawgs when they open play tonight in the District L Tournament in Carthage.
Second-seed Navarro plays No. 3-seed Tyler at 7 p.m. tonight. If the Lady Dawgs win that match, they will play the Blinn-Panola winner at 2 p.m. Saturday for the right to go the national tournament in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The Lady Dawgs (19-17) earned the No. 2 seed because of the improvement of their younger players like Lowe.
Lowe's goal in high school was to play volleyball at the University of Texas. But a coach at a summer camp told her she was too short.
Lowe is 5-foot 11 1/2. She says most back row players at top programs are at least 6-foot — Navarro's are closer to 5-7 — and with Lowe's best skill being her blocking ability, she had to set her sights on mid-major programs.
She decided on the junior college route. Lowe said her goal now is to play somewhere like North Texas once she is done at Navarro.
"I love playing volleyball," she said. "I love the adrenaline rush from playing. I definitely want to play."
She is similarly passionate about her family and school. Lowe's parents, David and Rhonda, have made most of the home games but won't be at the district tournament. They are currently in Vietnam doing mission work for the NorthWood Church in Keller.
Lowe said she will update her parents on the tournament with text messages this weekend.
While she doesn't plan to follow her parents' mission work, Lowe does want to make a difference. She said she is considering majoring in psychology.
In the meantime, she is enjoying the college experience.
"I love meeting people and seeing new faces," Lowe said. "I loved coming here to Navarro."
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