EDITOR’S NOTE: The Atlanta A5 Volleyball Club features more than 300 athletes, including several which are part of national qualifying teams. The following is Part 2 in a series of features about the A5 players who also compete in DeKalb County during the school season.

The glory in the sport of volleyball may be in the kills, but Paige McKnight enjoys making sure those kills happen perfectly.

McKnight, a Dunwoody sophomore, is the starting setter for the 15-Mike team in the Atlanta A5 Volleyball Club.

McKnight’s head coach, Mike Webster, said McKnight does not say a lot, but she is a leader for his team.

“She is definitely a leader out there,” Webster said. “She has a lot of knowledge about the game and she does a great job communicating in an effective way with all of her teammates.”

Webster said other teams may form false opinions of McKnight with an initial glance at her.

“I think people may underestimate how athletic and how strong she is because she is so small,” Webster said. “But I think that is to their detriment typically.”

Webster said McKnight has seen most of the action at setter for her team. He equates the setter position to another leadership position in sports.

“The setter is basically the quarterback,” he said. “It is the person who is running the offense and who dictates where everyone is going to go and what they are going to do on both the serve/receive and in transition situations. She does a really good job of running the offense and trying to bring about the vision of what we are trying to do.”

Webster said his team is able to do more with McKnight setting the ball because of her knowledge of the game.

“I don’t think our opponents would say anything we do is basic,” Webster said.

“We have challenged her and her teammates all season, and they have all stepped up to the challenge all year long.”

McKnight enjoys the success, but she said she likes another aspect of A5 the best.

“It is really fun to be with your teammates because they are always encouraging,” she said.