Parkdale Volleyball Star LaPria Saunders Finds Inspiration in Tragedy

Four years ago, LaPria Saunders' father, Carlton, suggested to his daughter that she try playing volleyball.

According to the Saunders, "he said it would be good for me and I would get better at basketball if I played [volleyball]."

She followed her father's advice, and now four seasons later, Saunders is the captain of the Parkdale High School volleyball team. Last year she even won the Camper of the Week Award from the University of Maryland Volleyball Camp.

With her leadership, the Panthers achieved a 9-5 regular season record this year, were seeded fourth in the 4A South region of the state tournament, and have been given a bye to the second round of the playoffs.

Parkdale is currently awaiting the winner of a first round matchup between Oxon Hill and Bladensburg to see who their opponent will be in the regional quarterfinal.

Since his daughter committed to trying out volleyball her freshman year of high school, Carlton has been a mainstay on the Parkdale sidelines. Whether the team needed an unofficial photographer or simply another loud cheerleader in the stands, he happily took on that role.

Tragically, the Panthers will have to forge into the playoffs without him on Monday, as Carlton passed away last month after a battle with diabetes.

"He was an awesome man. He was a part of this team," Parkdale coach Madeline Sease said after a team practice this week. "He was just always here. Even at the height of his illness, he would make his way here. We had a special chair for him. We were surprised to see him because he was so sick, but he made his way here."

In the weeks since her father's passing, Saunders has continued to shine on the court, using her grief to her own advantage in various ways.

"I find that playing volleyball makes me feel better," she said. "Volleyball helps me take out my frustrations, and I don't have to think about it as much. It's relief for me."

It's not all about trying to block it out though. According to Saunders, just the memory of her father is enough to motivate her throughout a game.

"Sometimes when I'm serving I think about what he would be doing in the stands. It's inspiration," she said.

The Panthers' last game of the regular season, which took place on Oct. 28, was dedicated to Saunders' father.

"We played [it] in his honor," said coach Christine Johnson.

By all accounts, he was certainly deserving of such an honor.

"[Carlton and] LaPria, the two of them were inseparable," Sease said. "He was an awesome father and I tell [LaPria] that most girls don't have a father like that. She was very blessed to have him."

Now Saunders and the rest of the Panthers are faced with no other choice but to move forward, and the Parkdale coaches are confident that the team will do so in successful fashion.

"They've been playing well together. They've just been playing hard," Sease said.

Johnson sees Parkdale's current playoff standing as equal to their skill level.

"As far as the season, we haven't reached my expectations yet because there has been nothing that made me believe we shouldn't be here," Johnson said. "Our first goal was to be seeded, and we did that. After that, we're going to take one game at a time."

For Saunders, it's more like one day at a time.

"It's hard, but I can do it," she said.

Next year, Saunders will continue her education, and hopefully her athletic career thanks to the guidance of her father.

"I don't know what school I want to go to yet, but I know I want to keep playing volleyball in college," she said. "At this point, I would rather play volleyball than basketball."

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