Known for her sweet, compact swing and amiable personality, Washington senior Adriana Tyson has spent the last 12-plus years perfecting her game on the diamond. Receptive but never flustered by outside criticism, she’s put in the hours, attended the camps and become one of the top softball players in the area.

But on Tuesday, Tyson decided to flip the script and choose a different direction, signing her letter of intent to play volleyball at Lenoir Community College in Kinston.

First stepping onto a volleyball court in middle school, her initial intention was to try something new, take a break from a grueling three-season softball schedule. But it didn’t take long for Tyson to develop a love for the sport.

She joined the Pam Pack volleyball team in 2011, along with head coach Kelly Slade, who coached Tyson and three of her teammates at P.S. Jones. The rest, as they say, is history. While continuing to play softball, Tyson became the most integral piece in turning around a program that had become accustomed to losing. In 2012, Tyson led Washington to a 17-8 finish and a playoff victory, the first in years. This fall, the Pam Pack’s season came to a similar conclusion — 17-8 with a playoff win. But Tyson’s 71 aces, 293 kills, 98 blocks and 22 assists earned her the Eastern Plains Conference Player-of-the-Year Award, a distinguished honor confirming her complete athletic ability.

“I’m going to come back and see these girls doing a lot better than I could of done. We left behind a strong program, so it’s only to become better,” Tyson said.

“I grew out of softball. I started playing when I was six, where volleyball is more of a recent thing. It became something I loved a lot better than softball.”

While witnessing the Pam Pack program’s transformation from pretender to contender, Tyson joins a Lancers volleyball team in the midst of a similar transformation. After years of losing volleyball, head coaches David and Shelly Barnes have turned the program around, as LCC finished the season earlier this month with an impressive 27-7 overall record and second place finish in the conference.

“We’ve got that program heading in the right direction and are looking for top quality players, not just players,” David Barnes said. “Obviously (Tyson is) the Player-of-the-Year in this conference, so that’s the type of players we’re looking for. We had 12 players from six different states, so we’re not just looking five or 10 miles down the road anymore. We’re looking all across the nation.”

Tyson brings a unique skillset to the Lancers, one that gives her the ability to play a full rotation. In her final season with the Big Blue, she demonstrated elite ability at the net, while also supporting the back line at times. Tyson will get the opportunity to find her niche with the Lancers, whether that is in the front row as a specialist or in multiple positions as a full rotation player

“I’m really excited for Adriana and that she’s decided to make the decision to move to the next level,” Slade said. “Her and the other seniors this year have left a legacy, one that helped build this program. We all showed up together when they were freshmen and if it wasn’t for Adriana and the other seniors, our program would not be as successful as it is now.”

It’s a program that’s going to miss its kill leader, undoubtedly, but it’s one with the necessary foundation for future success, a foundation Tyson helped build. Next season aside, Slade has high hopes for her former high school star as a college freshman.

“Her talent will definitely transfer over at the collegiate level,” she said. “She has the necessary net skills like coach Barnes said to be successful. She’s a very coachable player. I know she will be successful.”

Always up for a challenge, Tyson plans on pursuing a degree in nursing during her time at LCC.