Lilly Hayden

Lilly Hayden wants to be prepared every time she takes the court as the starting libero for Union girls volleyball.

“I watch the other team’s hitters during warm-ups, watch film on them and I ask our hitters where I should set up,” Hayden, a senior, said.

That homework has led to Hayden tallying 1,000 career digs, a number she reached in a win over Tidioute Charter earlier this month. She now has a school-record 1,037, with just about all of them coming since the beginning of her junior season.

Hayden was a setter on Union’s junior varsity team in 2023, and she saw some varsity time as a defensive specialist two years ago.

“She was playing with some nerves at the start of last season,” Union head coach Lexis Twentier said. “But once she relaxed and her teammates started to respond to her, she realized she could do well.”

Hayden’s personal milestone has helped the Damsels (9-9) reach the District 9 Class 1A playoffs for the first time in 10 years. Union travels to Ridgway for a first-round game Tuesday.

“She is a very aggressive athlete and takes her role very seriously,” Twentier said. “She does not want the ball to drop on the court without making an attempt.”

Holding down the position for just two years, Hayden, who also plays softball in the spring, set what she believed was an achievable goal.

“I was thinking I could get to 700 or 800 digs,” she said. “I definitely didn’t think I would break the school record.

“It shows that I have value to the team. I have teammates who are there to push me. If one of us makes a mistake, we are still there to support each other.”