Meet Hilton Head Christian volleyball player Ellie Patterson

Through the changing sports seasons and a steady stream of new coaches, Ellie Patterson has been a constant for Hilton Head Christian Academy's girls sports teams for the past four years.

The setter for the volleyball team, the point guard for the basketball team and a role player for the soccer team, if the Eagles are playing a game, Patterson is sure to be found somewhere.

As her high school career begins to wind down, Patterson took a few minutes to talk about everything from the volleyball team's recent winning streak to her expectations for the basketball team's first season under coach Joni Colburn and the role sports will play in her life when her days at Hilton Head Christian are done.

Question: After a rough start to season and a 2-11 start, your volleyball team has won three matches in a row, and two of them were against teams that had beaten you earlier in the season. What happened to spark this turnaround?

Answer: I feel like we were kind of sick of losing, and we never really put all our heart into the games, we were just like, 'Oh, it's another volleyball game.' But we really wanted to win, and we tried our hardest and were more encouraging. We were more upbeat and having fun.

Q. When you were out for the season with a wrist injury last year, you could have just gone off and done your own thing, but you stayed with the team and were always on the bench for the matches. What did you learn from that experience that helped you this season?

A. You notice things that you don't usually notice. You know when to encourage, and you can see when the other players are getting down. When you're playing, you don't always notice that. It was good to see how everyone worked on the court as a team.

Q. As a setter, maybe more than any other position, did you feel like that was important, just to keep in tune with what kind of sets your hitters liked?

A. Yeah, because some people like it really high, like Jaden (Colella), and some people like Janel (Raquet) like it not as high. If I went away for the whole year, I wouldn't know that, especially because they were all improving.

Q. You've played three sports -- volleyball, basketball and soccer -- throughout your career here. Do you have a favorite, or is it a case of whatever sport is in season is your favorite?

A. I think all of them, once you're in the season it's always fun but you're always looking forward to the next season, also. But I think volleyball and basketball are more competitive for me -- like, I really want to win -- and soccer is more like, 'This is fun, and let's win, too,' but I don't have as strong a passion for soccer as I do for the other sports.

Q. You've gone through coaching changes in all three of those sports in your time here, and you're about to get a taste of that again when basketball season starts, with your third coach in three years. Is there a little bit of trepidation there, combined with excitement, as you go into your first season playing for Joni Colburn?

A. I think it's going to be really fun. It's the first time we've ever had a female coach, so they're more on our level, like emotionally. I think it will be really exciting to see how it turns out.

Q. Having spent so much time playing sports in high school, I'm sure it has been a pretty big part of your life. What role do you see athletics playing in your life in college and beyond?

A. I'll probably do intramural or club sports in college, because I think that would keep me in shape. You know, the 'freshman 15' and all that. I'll always want to play sports, because I'm an active person. I wouldn't want to just sit around.