Russellville High School senior signs to play volleyball for MUW
High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports, Z - News Main, Z - TOP HOME
 By  Brannon King Published 
4:25 pm Thursday, February 29, 2024

Russellville High School senior signs to play volleyball for MUW

Russellville High School senior Avery Watts became the most recent member of the Golden Tigers to sign to play sports at the next level during a celebration held Feb. 21.

Watts made her plans to play volleyball for the Mississippi University for Women Owls official during the signing ceremony. Along with being a standout volleyball player at RHS, Watts excels academically, and, among other pursuits at RHS, plays basketball and is a member of the track team. She has a cumulative weighted GPA of 5.0 and takes six AP courses. Watts is also the Bryant-Jordan award winner for RHS, the area and region and will be heading to Birmingham for the state banquet.

“It’s so special because I’ve been waiting for this day for so long,” Watts shared about the signing day. “I’ve been dreaming about this day and playing collegiate volleyball and I’m just so excited for it to finally come true.”

Watts has created many memories while playing at RHS, and she shared one of her favorites. “The friendships and memories that I’ve made are so special to me and I’ll never forget them. Mainly just playing with all of my friends and leaving it all out on the court.”

MUW, a coeducational institution, is a NCAA Division III member located in Columbus. “When I went down there to visit, everybody was just so nice and helpful and that just made me feel really at home,” Watts said. “Since it’s two hours away from home, it was important to me to make the campus feel like a home.”

First-year RHS volleyball head coach Will White had many complimentary things to say about Watts including the example she has set for others coming up through the program, her ability to move to the important outside hitter position during her senior season and her role as a leader on the team. “Avery is somebody that we will talk about for years,” White said. “Just the work ethic, her attitude and she’s a brilliant young lady with such an academic mind that is so smart. My only regret is that I didn’t have her for four years.”

Also on Franklin County Times
Scientist connects classwork to careers
Main, Z - News Main
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 31, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE – Middle school students recently got a hands-on look at how classroom lessons connect to real-world careers during a visit from an Aubur...
Fire department searches records to find its history
Main, News, Phil Campbell, ...
By Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
December 31, 2025
PHIL CAMPBELL — The Phil Campbell Volunteer Fire Department is digging into its past as it works to confirm when the town’s first fire service was off...
Club ends year with giving, reflection
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
December 31, 2025
The GFWC Book Lovers Club came together at the beautifully decorated home of Patricia and Don Cox for its final meeting of the year, celebrating the s...
A December revolt for change
Columnists, Opinion
December 31, 2025
Imagine going to visit a relative in another country and discovering they had things that your own country did not. Not only were goods available for ...
Hidden treasures hang on Christmas tree
News, Phil Campbell
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 31, 2025
PHIL CAMPBELL — For Jam Lee TePoel Saarinen and her husband, Jeff Saarinen, some of the most meaningful Christmas gifts are not found under the tree b...
Anglers hold first outreach effort
Franklin County, News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 31, 2025
R U S S E L L V I L L E — Franklin County Anglers delivered holiday stockings to residents at Arabella Health and Wellness as part of their first comm...
Thigpens win garden club lighting contest
News, Red Bay
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
December 31, 2025
RED BAY — A climbing ivy “Christmas tree,” decorated with ornaments and carolers from “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” runs along the side of Wesley and D...
Turning hair loss into hope for kids
News
Chelsea Retherford For the FCT 
December 31, 2025
When Harper Berryhill began to lose her hair during chemotherapy, she was reminded that she was not facing her diagnosis alone. In a gesture rooted in...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *