2020 All-Outlook Volleyball Player of the Year: Cheatham grows into ‘coach on the floor’ at libero

Ryne Gallacher / The Outlook

Horseshoe Bend senior Abby Cheatham has been named the All-Outlook volleyball Player of the Year for the 2020 season. 

Libero is arguably the hardest position to play in volleyball due to the high demand on one’s body by repeatedly dropping to the floor to dig the ball up. The position is not for the weak; you have to be tough physically and mentally. Horseshoe Bend’s Abby Cheatham, the 2020 All-Outlook Volleyball Player of the Year,” has been the shining example of what it takes to play the position of libero while also being a great teammate and leader for her team.

“When she first started playing for me in the ninth grade, she was hesitant about playing libero but she grew into the role,” Horseshoe Bend coach Julie Turner said. “She can read defenses even better than I can sometimes. Every time she came out of the game I worried about us defensively. She’s like a coach on the floor. It’s going to be very hard to replace her; it’s one of the toughest positions to fill because it’s hard to coach. The position is very demanding.”

Ryne Gallacher is a sports writer for The Outlook.