Farmersville junior Peighton Purser (15) was recognized for 1,000 career kills, 500 digs and 200 service aces prior to the start of last Friday’s home match against Caddo Mills. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media
By David Wolman
For the longest time, Ashley Reed tried to convince her niece, Farmersville junior outside hitter Peighton Purser, to pursue volleyball.
Reed once tried to get Purser to sign up for a little league team, but Purser didn’t want to.
Purser’s main sport was basketball, and she felt that her height and long arms gave her an advantage.
She continued to play basketball in middle school, but upon entering the seventh grade, she told Reed something that Reed had wanted to hear for the longest time — Purser was finally ready to give volleyball a try. Volleyball tryouts were being held that same day, and Reed was thrilled to hear that Purser was going to play the same sport she once played.
“She was very happy and excited,” Purser said. “I was super lanky and tall. She knew that I was going to be super decent at it.”
Purser said that volleyball was an adjustment and took time to get used to, but she had fun learning and was excited about trying something new.
Once in high school, Purser made Farmersville’s varsity team as a freshman and she absorbed everything taught to her by the team’s three seniors — Cayla Huff, Rendi Fetty and Sophia White.
Her hitting skills were the biggest thing noticed by her Farmersville teammates. She finished second on the team in kills with 201 and also provided a strong defensive presence, racking up a team-high 49 blocks while notching 60 service aces. Her contributions led to great team success. Farmersville finished with a 37-6 record during the 2023 season and advanced to the third round of the playoffs.
“They definitely pushed me a lot — sometimes a little too hard — but I wouldn’t be where I am today without them,” Purser said. “It was a great experience.”
All the while, Purser was honing her craft with her club team, Legends Volleyball Club. After having a bad experience with a different club team as a freshman, she joined Legends last year.
It was one the best decisions that she said that she’s made during her athletic endeavors.
“They changed the game for me and made me fall back in love with the sport,” she said. “It was the coaching. Coach (Ella) Baird understood me in a way that most coaches didn’t. I feel like the team was very close, and she made practices very fun. I feel like when you’re having fun, you play well.”
The passion that Purser regained for volleyball helped her prepare for a bigger role with the Lady Farmers during her sophomore season.
Although Purser didn’t come close to matching the 729 kills that Fetty recorded during her senior season, her offensive production showed she was more than ready to handle the responsibility that comes with being the team’s top offensive threat. She finished with 404 kills, 44 aces and also handled her defensive role with confidence.
Farmersville fed off Purser’s play, making the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season and finishing with a 28-16 record.
“It definitely took a lot out of me because I had a lot of pressure on me,” Purser said. “It was me, Bella (Holland) and Rylie (Cottongame). We were the go-to players. It was hard, but that’s why I am who I am today.”
The Lady Farmers are again on pace to qualify for the playoffs, but it hasn’t come without adversity. Farmersville saw Cottongame leave for another school midway through the season, and given her versatility, that forced head coach to have to make several position changes.
Positional changes and all, Farmersville entered last Friday’s match against Caddo Mills with a 4-3 record in District 13-4A, good for third place — one game ahead of fourth-place Wills Point (3-4) and two ahead of Community (2-5) with just three matches to go in district play.
“We’ve all played new positions,” Purser said. “There have been times when I’ve been in the middle, played middle back, left back, outside — everywhere. And Alexia (Hernandez) recently got moved from middle back to setter, and she hasn’t played setter since she was in the eighth grade. We’re definitely adjusting. We’ve been through a lot of adversity, but I think we’re handling it pretty well.”
A couple of colleges have shown interest in Purser. Her preferred school of choice is Wichita State.
In the meantime, her goal is to help lead Farmersville to a deeper playoff run after the Lady Farmers struggled in a 3-0 loss to Pleasant Grove in the bi-district round of the Class 4A Division II playoffs last year.
“I was very upset after we lost the match,” Purser said. “I wanted a rematch right away, and everyone on the team wanted to play again. I feel like we let our seniors down, and it has fueled us.”
0 Comments