MADISON- Alaina Obianozie is regarded as a leader among her senior class at Bob Jones High. She makes an impression everywhere she goes and with everyone she meets, and does so, in a very humbling way.The senior student-athlete just completed her final season of volleyball for the Patriots and is currently awaiting her own decision on what college to attend and to what extent does she play volleyball beyond her years in high school. In the meantime, one of the star players for the 2022 Class 7A state runner-up Patriots has been recognized for her skills on the court as Obianozie has been named Honorable Mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) in its 17th annual listing.

“I feel as though I was finally acknowledged for my hard work through the years as I never slacked up and have always worked to get to the next level,” said Obianozie, who began volleyball as a seventh grader at Discovery Middle School while also participating in gymnastics and basketball. “I began to see I had talents in the sport, especially my height, and began using them to my advantage. As for the All-American Award, I feel this is pretty good.”

A record 1,183 nominations were submitted to the AVCA resulting in 300 All-Americans and Honorable Mention All-American Selections. Fifty athletes were named to each of the ACA All-American First, Second and Third Teams with 150 additional athletes selected to the Honorable Mention list.

Obianozie, the 5-foot-8 middle blocker for the Pats, played in all 59 matches in the recent 2022 season where she had 153 kills with a hitting percentage of .200, 98 blocks, 47 digs and 14 assists. She also earned an AVCA All-Region Award for her outstanding play. At the recent team end-of season banquet, she won two team awards: “Most Blocks,” and “Captain Award.”

“We came a long way as a team having a new coach and then making it to the State Championship match,” said Obianozie. “Our season was a big accomplishment. I was honored to be a captain and winning that team award. I took being a captain very seriously as I wanted to be an inspiration for others as I was surprised when I was named team captain, but I do feel I did well.”

Jenny Jarrett, head coach of the Lady Patriots, said of her All-American player, “She bought in on what we were doing from day one and helped lead her teammates to do everything that the coaching staff asked of them. She is an extremely hard worker. She, along with our other senior, Sadie Hall, led this team in action, work ethic and vocally.”

Obianozie is known as an outstanding leader for the program. Jarrett told of one of her athlete’s first encounters when Jarrett first arrived on the Bob Jones campus. Jarrett said, “The girl’s locker room was very messy. I encouraged the girls to clean their space. One day while I was leaving summer workouts, Alaina was coming back into the gym. I later found out she had returned to sweep and clean up the locker room. It made a big impression on me as she did the right thing without wanting to be seen or complimented. She has continued to lead from that point onward.”

“I’m looking at college and have narrowed down my choices to Miles College, Jackson State and North Carolina A&T,” added Obianozie, who posts a 3.5 grade point average as she looks at an education in business administration. “Besides volleyball, I also love to draw. I also love getting out in the community as our team has been a part of several food drives.”

“I remember when I first started playing volleyball, there were some who doubted me, but I have showed them by getting better.”