Left-to-right: Georgia Grace Anderson, Shelly Hoffman, Taylor Chappell and head coach Ashleigh Larsen work on drills during workouts on Sept. 1 at the Richmond Senior High School practice fields.
                                 Neel Madhavan | Daily Journal

Left-to-right: Georgia Grace Anderson, Shelly Hoffman, Taylor Chappell and head coach Ashleigh Larsen work on drills during workouts on Sept. 1 at the Richmond Senior High School practice fields.

Neel Madhavan | Daily Journal

ROCKINGHAM — Georgia Grace Anderson was once a multi-sport athlete playing both softball and volleyball, but she decided to focus on just volleyball.

That decision and her ensuing hard work and determination culminated in her announcement Friday, as she committed to William Peace University to continue her volleyball career.

“Whenever I first toured back in February, I knew deep down that’s where I was going to end up and I just fell in love with the campus,” Anderson said. “With it being in downtown Raleigh, there’s so many opportunities there and with it being small, everybody knows everybody.”

Having played softball since she was about three years old, Anderson said it was hard to give it up. But, she said she knew it was the right decision to make so she could put her complete focus on volleyball and playing at the collegiate level.

“I am excited for her,” said Richmond Senior High School volleyball coach Ashleigh Larsen. “She has worked hard to achieve this goal. I’m excited to see her play at the next level.”

Anderson also had offers from Averett University, Methodist University, Greensboro College and a walk-on spot at UNC-Pembroke.

Anderson attended a Pacers’ practice Thursday night and was enthralled by what she witnessed.

“It was really nice to watch the players, the coaches and see how enthusiastic they were,” Anderson said. “You could just tell from the practice that they all loved the game and they want to compete every time they can.”

She said she plans to major in elementary education and fight to try and get as much playing time as she can.

Reach Neel Madhavan at 910-817-2671 ext. 2751 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter at @NeelMadhavan.