Clements Keeps All Her Balls in the Air at East Chapel Hill High

From her middle blocker position, she plays with skill, character, poise, and lots of enthusiasm. Clements says playing volleyball at East Chapel Hill means everything to her.

"Being a part of it, that's the most important thing. If I didn't play volleyball, I would regret it so much," she says. "It's such a big part of your life. You spend so much of your time every week with these people, and it's such a great thing to do. I mean I would encourage anybody who has any interest in sports to do it, just because of the friendships you make. I'll always be proud of what I can do in volleyball."

And so will her coach. "If you had 12 players like Meredith, I wouldn't probably have to have a job. They would just be able to play and win without us," says coach Michelle Wood. "That's the way she is."

And that's the way she is in the classroom too. Clements is third academically in a class of 215. Her grade point average is 4.61.

"I think she's just terribly self-motivated," says teacher Nancy Kelly. "She is the kind of student that every teacher dreams of having in the classroom. She's a good role model. She works hard. She's bright. And I just can't say enough good things about her."

Clements is proud of being able to keep all her balls in the air at the same time. "To really succeed in sports and school, that's really a special thing to do. And I'm really proud that I've been able to do it for so many years," she says.

Meredith Clements is this week's winner of the Extra Effort Award. Tom Suiter's Extra Effort award airs Wednesdays during WRAL's 6:00 News.

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