Pendleton, Ayubi hope to lead Edmond Memorial back to championship
EDMOND–Regan Pendleton didn' t tell her coach f or nearly a week. Neither did Sophia Ayubi.
The two senior son Edmond Memo rial' s volleyball team committed to their respective colleges—Pendleton to Tulsa and Ayub it o Washington University in St. Louis — and didn't make it public. Family and some friends knew, but neither of them told Memorial coach Natalie Murray before she saw the news on social media.
“I had to find out from an Ins tag ram post ,” Murray said. “I got onto them both because they did the exact same thing.”
When Murray approached the star duo about it, they said they didn't know how to tell their coach.
With the decisions behind them, Pendleton and Ayubi said their focus for senior year is to win their second state title. As freshmen, both were key pieces for the Bulldogs, who knocked off Norman North in four sets to win the title. With a couple months left before their high school careers conclude, all the focus has been on capturing that second championship.
Memorial, and Edmond in general, have dominated Class 6A volleyball the past decade. Since 2009, at least one Edmond program has bee ninth estate title match. Each school has won at least one title, too.
That competition has driven Pendleton and Ayubi. Although the two are constantly facing tough opposition every night, they agree it has molded them into better players.
“It' s fun to compete against people you've known since you were 10 years old with such high stakes,” Ayubi said. “That makes the competition a little more heated, but it's so much more fun to play against people you know.”
Ayubi hasn't played in each match this season because of a nagging injury, but she's healthy and preparing for the final few weeks of the season. Murray said her team's improved health overall is a welcoming sign.
The Bulldogs are 6- 3 and will face Southmoore at 6 p.m. Thursday before competing in the Heather Harkness Tournament at Edmond Santa Fe this weekend.
With a little more than a month left in the regular season, Pendleton said she's excited for the stretch run to see what she and her teammates can do.
“Everyone wants to compete, wants to be at the top,” Pendleton said. “We just have that great chemistry on the floor, which is really exciting.”