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JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times

Blacksburg High School junior setter Lindsey Henderson says she's happy being in the background. "I don't really think about it, I just try to set everybody up. In the end, I just like to see us win. I like to see us all succeed."

JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times

So far this season, Blacksburg High School setter Lindsey Henderson has had double-digit assists in every game, including two contests in which she recorded more than 20 assists.

| Chuck Altizer

Special to The Roanoke Times

BLACKSBURG -- The first time Blacksburg High School junior setter Lindsey Henderson met her current volleyball coach, Angela Marshall, she was a shy and quiet eighth-grade student.

The dynamic personality of the Lady Bruin boss left a huge impression on the young Henderson, who almost gave up a sport she loves.

"When I first met Lindsey, she was afraid of me," said Marshall, now in her second year as varsity head coach after spending four years as an assistant. "She told her middle school coach that she was thinking about giving up volleyball."

Henderson confirmed her fears.

"Yeah, I was kind of terrified," Henderson reminisced. "I was very intimidated at first."

Now in her second season on the varsity squad, the soft-spoken Henderson has been given a greater responsibility on a Bruin squad with high expectations -- in not only their district, but region as well.

Right in the middle of the Bruin offense is where Henderson sits as the team's setter and she has been tabbed by her coach to have more of a vocal leadership role.

This is a different role for the three-sport star at Blacksburg.

She was always quite happy being the player everyone can count on to give her best effort, while her teammates brought home the different accolades and awards.

"I didn't mind," Henderson said about being in the background. "I don't really think about it, I just try to set everybody up. In the end, I just like to see us win. I like to see us all succeed."

It is something that her father, and new Blacksburg girls' basketball coach, Roger Henderson hopes to see when the season switches to the hardwood, where the Bruins lost a key performer in Mallory Jones to transfer.

"She has got to step up in basketball this season," Roger Henderson said. "She does work hard and you can count on her playing defense. Not everyone one likes defense but she does her thing and plays her role. This season we are going to need her to score some more."

The elder Henderson's words brought a smile to Lindsey Henderson's face, but she knows that there will be work ahead of her.

"That would be nice and we'll see how that goes," said the daughter, who plays the two guard position. "I really need to work on my shooting."

Before the basketballs and even the soccer balls, where Lindsey Henderson plays defense for the Lady Bruins, are passed out, she wants to take care of business on the volleyball court. And her new role has not been lost on her teammates.

"She was always the quiet one and she never seem to feel comfortable being vocal and she didn't know what to say," said senior outside hitter Kaitlyn Ayares.

"This season she is doing really well and working really hard to get everybody going where they are suppose to go and making sure everyone is in position.

"She plays setter, which doesn't get a lot of the publicity as the hitters, but she is definitely a team player and you know you can always count on her."

So far this season, Blacksburg has amassed a 3-1 record going into last night's contest with Auburn, which handed the Bruins their only loss.

Henderson has been stuffing the stat sheets, dishing out double-digit assists in every game, including two contests in which she recorded more than 20 assists.

The step up in play and leadership was something Marshall saw coming as the timid sophomore stepped up to a more mature junior.

"Coming into this season, I saw where she has become much more comfortable in who she is and what she wants and it shows on the court," Marshall explained.

"She was always a quiet leader but as a setter you are the quarterback of the team and she needed to work on being more aggressive. Now, she is feeling empowered to run the correct plays and knowing who to set the ball too and she is starting to embrace the leadership role."

Lindsey Henderson is just hoping to help lead her team to big things.

"I definitely think we can go far this season," she said. "It is a tough district and region and everyone on the team has an important part to do if we want to be successful."

And what about that fear of the coach, Ayares summed it up.

"We all were terrified of her (Marshall) at first and Lindsey was most definitely terrified because Angela is tough," she said.

"But Lindsey thrives off what Angela teaches her and they get along great now."