BURLINGTON — Watching Cheryl Eubanks smash a volleyball to the floor, it’s hard to tell that she’d rather be the one on the other end trying to scoop it up.
“I prefer digging,” the Burlington-Edison senior said. “It feels really good to get a dig up. I’ve played every single position there is. It’s kind of, wherever they put me at, it’s like ‘do with me what you want.’ But digging has always been my favorite.”
What makes Eubanks’ story interesting is she has become the leading hitter on the top-ranked Class 2A volleyball team in the state one year after spending a season playing a position that all but eliminates the possibility of a kill.
Eubanks spent her junior season as the Tigers’ libero, the defender who wears the off-color jersey and is not allowed to attack or block balls above the net.
“You don’t get any glory for it,” Eubanks said. “Usually the hitters (get the glory). It feels good to get to the hit down the line and stop people from getting their kills.”
The Tigers had plenty of offensive firepower last year. But with the graduation of a strong group of seniors, coming up with offense this season was a concern.
Even so, Tigers coach Tawnya Brewer was reluctant to pull Eubanks out of the libero spot, where Eubanks posted the fourth-highest dig total in school history last season.
But the move was made, and it has paid off for the Tigers.
Eubanks has more than 200 kills this season and will soon break into the Tigers’ top 10 for a single season.

