Ruston’s Positive Peacemaker

Amanda Cauley noticed it right away.

With decades of volleyball experience under her belt and three daughters actively in the sport, Cauley is accustomed to seeing good players, connected teams and impressive athletes in her time in north Louisiana.

But when she consistently started watching Hannah Rollins play, something was different about her, something that not every player brings to the table.

“What I really loved and could see from afar was the energy and the fun she brought to the court,” Cauley said. “ All the funny handshakes that she does, the hairstyles. Her smile. At one point she dyed the tips of her hair red. And the big celebrations too. That’s somebody that’s putting a lot of heart into the program and wants to make it a joy to watch and for the other girls a joy to play.”

Joy. Positive. Consistently happy.

Those are the words players and coaches use to describe Rollins, the enthusiastic middle blocker who’s already left a legacy as one of the top leaders in Bearcat volleyball history through her unwavering spirit of encouragement.

Lucie Hunt, who coached Rollins her first three years of high school and has known her since middle school, said it was a gift to coach her for as long as she did and always appreciated Rollins’ ability to steady the waters when the Bearcats hit adversity.

Even when execution is lacking or an opponent finds an edge, Hunt said Rollins could strike a unique balance of encouraging and demanding that rallied her teammates.

“Hannah doesn’t have a mean bone in her body and those girls look up to her as a leader and when she succeeds it just lights up the court,” Hunt said. “Hannah’s someone you wish she could stay around a little longer. She’s one of those kids who is always happy all the time and you can see her and it makes you smile. She’s a person that brings a lot of light to the game.”

But don’t get it confused, Rollins isn’t some smiling face sitting at the end of the bench handing out high fives. She doubles as a playmaker, leading the Bearcats in kills this season and proving to be half of one of the top middle combinations in north Louisiana with fellow senior Jade Smith.

Over her last five matches, Rollins has 37 kills and 8 blocks, while coming through earlier in the season when it was needed most, including 14 kills and 3 blocks in a sweep over district rival Natchitoches-Central on Sept. 26 and 7 kills, 5 aces, and 2 blocks to seal the District 2-1 title over Alexandria Sr. High on Oct. 10.

“Hannah means a lot to this team, and I would say she’s a positive peacemaker as far as the emotional side of the game. She’s a positive encourager,” Cauley said. “She’s also our kills leader this season. She’s dominant at the net and she has worked so hard. I’ve seen her grow over the past year tremendously at her footwork, out of system ball placement and she’s swinging harder and faster. I’m super proud of her.”

Why does Rollins choose to be the calming presence on and off the court for her team? For her, it’s a way to keep the cycle of veteran leadership going that she benefited from when she was starting out.

Every team has dependable players on the court from an athletic standpoint. It’s why they’re on varsity. But the teams that are set apart from the rest have a tight circle of trust and an understanding the leaders at the front of the line will uplift everyone behind them.

“I was honestly really shy at the beginning, and I had teammates around me that fed into me that same way and that’s what helped me grow to be confident when I played and that’s how I wanted to be for the people younger than me,” Rollins said. “I feel like we’re put under pressure during games and it’s hard to not just focus on the negative and so having one person on a team that tries to be positive it can get an entire team out of bad mood.”

Cauley couldn’t agree more, adding that Rollins’ ability to shoot a smile or deliver encouragement in the huddle goes a long way, especially in volleyball when emotions can soar and dip within minutes.

“Coaching girls is so much different than coaching boys. And there’s some pros and cons to that,” Cauley said. “Sometimes I wish they would quit being as emotional and play the game. But because we’re girls and because the emotional aspect is such a key component in volleyball you have to feel like everybody is rowing in the same direction and you have to feel like who would go to bat for you. And Hannah tries to bring that out in everybody. There’s definitely going to be a giant space for somebody to step up and fill that role next year.”

With the Bearcats’ regular season ending this weekend and the team on its way to hosting a first and potentially second-round playoff game, Rollins reflected on what the RHS volleyball program has meant to her and why she’ll continue to be a light to her teammates as long as she can.

“It’s always been a safe space and it’s been a lot of fun,” Rollins said. “Everybody feeds into each other, and it’s always been like a family. It’s fun to see how much people have grown and they mean a lot to me. I’m always very protective, even if they don’t know it or I don’t show it. They’re like little sisters to me and I always want the best for them.”