As the end of the school year is quickly approaching, many of the Shadow Ridge High School senior athletes are taking their careers to the next level. Recently this week, some SRHS athletes committed to playing their chosen sports at the collegiate level.  One of these athletes is senior Jayden Sanders.

Sanders is a varsity player for women’s volleyball at Shadow Ridge. She played the position of middle/outside hitter for the Mustangs and her club team, Vegas United Volleyball Club. She has signed and is fully committed to Central State University in Ohio to continue her volleyball career, and she is also majoring in Exercise Sciences with a minor in Nutrition.

“I felt very accomplished when I signed. I have dreamt of playing in college, and now it is coming true,” Sanders expressed.

She first started playing volleyball with her cousins and sisters who made her love the game. She joined her first volleyball team when she was in the seventh grade, and she has been playing ever since.

“My top influencer is my mom. She always encourages me to push myself for what I want, and it helps me to have a better drive,” Sanders stated.

Sanders has been a very hardworking and highly motivated athlete. She usually prepares herself before a match by stretching and thinking of all the effort she has put in during practices so she can give 100% and show her full potential in a game. Even when experiencing a tough match, Sanders puts aside the feeling of losing a game and continually spreads her positivity throughout the team. Sanders encourages her teammates in the gym and pushes her team to improve.

“I try to remember that it does not help the team if I am not doing my part, so I try to communicate and play my hardest,” Sanders mentioned.

Aside from playing volleyball, Sanders is also part of the Polynesian Club at Shadow Ridge and she participates in various activities at her church. She is very active and brilliant at a lot of different things; it is because playing at Shadow Ridge helped her see that she has no limits and the coaches pushed her to see her potential and ultimately helped her achieve her dreams.

She stated that the reputation of Shadow Ridge is one of hard work, so she strives to be the epitome of this on and off the court. Sanders is looking forward to starting her journey at CSU and continuing to push herself even more in achieving great things in her life.